The Oosterschelde 3, or Eastern Scheldt, tidal power project is the largest tidal power project ever undertaken in the Netherlands and will be the largest commercial tidal power plant in the world. The project will mark the first time a total of five turbines are installed in an array.
Strukton has been involved in the project since the start of the planning phase in 2010. The tidal power plant is owned by Tocardo Tidal Turbines, a manufacturer of freestanding hydro-electric power turbines.
For close to 60 years now, the Delta Works have been protecting a major part of the Netherlands from flooding from the North Sea. The new project will be using one of these works, the Eastern Scheldt storm surge barrier, to generate energy.
The fast-flowing water of the Eastern Scheldt makes it the best possible location in the Netherlands for generating tidal energy. The ebb and flow of the estuary generates very strong currents that can be used by Tocardo’s turbines for the generation of hydroelectric power. The turbines, which will become operational this autumn, have a total capacity of 1.2 MW – enough to supply electricity to 1,000 households.
“Tidal energy is a clean and reliable source of energy that can satisfy 10 to 20% of the global energy requirement,” said Andre Hoogeveen, general manager of Strukton Sustainable Energy. “The realisation of this project marks a major step forward in the development of tidal energy. Together with Strukton Sustainable Energy, we intend to further develop tidal energy into a significant Dutch export product. This project in our domestic market is a good showpiece that we and our partners can use to enter the global market.”
A number of other companies are involved in this project besides Strukton and Tocardo. Fellow shareholder Huisman designed the suspension structure for the turbines. Mammoet will be handling the installation, and the Zeeland firms of Istimewa Elektrotechniek, Van der Straaten and Hillebrand will be making major contributions to the electrical engineering system and steel structures.
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