On Wednesday 25 November, the tidal power plant in the Dutch Eastern Scheldt surge barrier has been put into service. The festive commissioning, where the largest tidal energy project in the Netherlands as well as the world's largest commercial tidal installation of five turbines in an array, was performed by Diederik Samsom, Group Chairman of the Dutch Labour Party.
"This project marks an important step in the development of tidal energy. Tidal technology is innovative and could grow into a significant Dutch export product. The export expectation of tidal energy is more than 200 Gigawatt. With our turbines in the Eastern Scheldt storm surge barrier, we can now show the world what tidal energy is all about: providing a clean and reliable source of energy that could fulfil 10-20% of the world's electricity needs," says Hans van Breugel, CEO of Tocardo, producer of the tidal power plant.
According to Joop Roodenburg, Chairman of Huisman's Board of Directors, the advantages of tidal energy are evident. "Besides the fact that it is extremely predictable how much energy is generated - the tide is there every day - the turbines are installed in the water and will not be in sight such as wind turbines. For the future we focus on upscaling the installations. However, this requires a large investment, a realistic rate for tidal energy and a touch of idealism. Only then we can build an important export industry. Huisman has been willing to take this risk and supports the project financially, because we believe in the future of tidal energy and great Dutch export opportunities". In addition to the financial sponsoring of the project, Huisman was responsible for the design and the construction of the turbine's suspension structure.
Besides Tocardo and Huisman, many other Dutch companies were involved in this prestigious project. Strukton has been actively involved in the project planning and was fully responsible for project management during installation. Mammoet's involvement in the project comprises the transportation and installation of the Tidal Power Plant at the Eastern Scheldt storm surge barrier. The local companies Istimewa, Van der Straaten and Hillebrand also play an important role in terms of the electro-technical installation and steel structures. As manager of the Eastern Scheldt storm surge barrier, the Netherlands' Department of Waterways and Public Works "Rijkswaterstaat" supports this innovative initiative to generate energy. Together with contractors, engineering firms and knowledge institutes, Rijkswaterstaat develops innovative solutions and whenever possible facilitates initiatives to test or build renewable energy installations. The province of Zeeland has provided a significant financial contribution to the project. Provincial representative Ben de Reu explains why: "Zeeland is surrounded by water. We are the only province in the Netherlands with land in the sea, which is why tidal energy is such a good match for us. In recent years we have built up much expertise in this area. We are a pioneer and now we can show that the water is an important energy source for Zeeland. Tidal energy is the future, of that I am convinced! " This project also received funding from the European Regional Development Fund, the Dutch government and the province of Zeeland as part of the Operational Programme for Zuid-Nederland (OP-Zuid).
About Tocardo
TOCARDO International BV is a Dutch company and is the global leader in tidal technology.Together with Huisman Tocardo aspires to be the market leader in tidal energy. Earlier this year, the Den Oever-based company installed three linked turbines in the Afsluitdijk, a 30 km long primary sea defence in The Netherlands, with a total capacity of 300 kW. Another Tocardo turbine in the Afsluitdijk has been providing electricity for over seven years now. Tocardo also deployed its first offshore floating project at the Island of Texel in The Netherlands.
About Huisman
Huisman is a globally operating company with extensive experience in the design and manufacturing of heavy construction equipment for the world's leading on- and offshore companies. The equipment, ranging from stand-alone to highly engineered and integrated systems is designed and manufactured under own management, from concept to installation. Operations are divided between offices in the Netherlands, Australia, Brazil, China, Czech Republic, Norway, Singapore and the USA, and production facilities in The Netherlands, Brazil, Czech Republic and China. www.huismanequipment.com
About OP-Zuid
The Operational Programme for the South of Holland (OP-Zuid) is a joint subsidy programme of the Dutch provinces of Limburg, Noord-Brabant and Zeeland, together with the cities of Breda, Tilburg, s-Hertogenbosch, Eindhoven, Helmond, Venlo, Sittard-Geleen, Heerlen and Maastricht. It is an economic stimulus programme, with 186 million in funding coming from the European regional Development fund (ERDF) and 46 million coming from the Dutch government. OP-Zuid's main objectives are to promote competiveness and sustainable economic growth and to boost employment in the South of Holland. Its subsidy projects broadly help fulfil the regional ambition to further establish the South of Holland as one of Europe's top technological regions.
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May 10, 2024
