According to Offshore Energy article published on December 26, 2022, Dutch company Tocardo has entered into discussions for a potential extension of its landmark 1.2MW tidal energy array installed on one of the sluice gates of the Oosterschelde storm surge barrier in the Netherlands.
Tocardo has signed exclusivity agreement to provide the technology and expertise, with a former partner at Macquarie Capital, on a potential extension of a Oosterschelde tidal power project, according to QED Naval, which together with HydroWing, acquired the Dutch company in early 2020.
The consortium and fund, being put in place, will develop the the Oosterschelde tidal power project (also known as the Eastern Scheldt Tidal Power Plant), as well as others in the Netherlands.
The initial 60MW tidal energy project, planned as an extension for Oosterschelde scheme, aims to get the financial investment decision in the next six to nine months, QED Naval said.
“A major service and maintenance program has been conducted on the Oosterschelde tidal power project, led by Matt Reed, Tocardo’s chief technology office (CTO), along with the engineers from Tocardo, QED Naval and HydroWing.
“This maintenance project continues to accelerate our knowledge and capabilities in operating and maintaining such systems for the future.
“It has also helped prove and develop good working relationships with the government, ministers and Rijkswaterstaat, the Dutch water authority. We continue to seek opportunities to expand the use of tidal barriers as ideal locations for tidal energy generation,” QED Naval said.
To remind, Matt Reed has been appointed CTO of Tocardo in mid-2022, taking on the responsibility to further develop Tocardo’s next-generation T-2si turbine, which is an upgraded version of the T-2 turbines used in the Oosterchelde project.
Qualified as a medium-size turbine, the T-2si is almost 50% more powerful than the T-2,but uses similar turbine geometry and weight.
Rated at up to 450kW, the T-2si control features allow turbines to produce higher yield beyond rated capacity using innovative control and blade technology, according to Tocardo.
Aside from technology advancement, Reed has also been put in charge of supervising the ongoing developments at the Oosterschelde project in the Dutch province of Zeeland.
