Indonesia will have a large tidal power plant in the straits of Larantuka at the Island of Flores. The Larantuka tidal power plant is designed to provide electricity to more than 100,000 residents in that area.
Witteveen+Bos and Bita Bina Semesta had started the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (EISA) and Indonesian Environmental Impact Assessment (AMDAL) for the Larantuka Tidal Power Plant. These environmental assessments will be completed on September 1, 2020.
The Larantuka tidal power plant is commissioned by Tidal Bridge BV. The project consists of building and operating a 30-megawatt tidal power plant which will be the largest in the world! The turbines will be integrated into a bridge between Flores and Adonara island. The bridge will replace the dangerous ferry crossings at the Larantuka Strait. This is an interesting project where connectivity and renewable energy are integrated in an innovative way.
A tidal power plant converts the energy provided from tides into electricity. Tidal power is one of the most reliable sources of renewable energy. Tides are a more predictable power source than the wind or the sun. It is interesting to note that the moon is the source of the energy provided by the tides.
This Larantuka tidal power plant project aligns with Indonesia’s commitment to increase the share of renewable energy in the total energy supply to 25% by 2025. It also commits to reduce the emission of CO2 by 300 million tonnes by 2030.
The tapping of ocean energy, consisting of wave and tidal energy to produce clean and cheaper power will grow significantly. According to Market Research Future, the annual growth rate of the global wave and tidal market is expected to be more than 17% until 2023.
Here are the current top five tidal power plants around the world:
- Sihwa Lake Tidal Power Station, South Korea – 254 MW
- La Rance Tidal Power Plant, France – 240 MW
- Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon, UK – 240 MW
- MeyGen Tidal Energy Project, Scotland – 86 MW
- Annapolis Royal Generating Station, Canada – 20 MW
This article was written by Jamin Djuang, a published author of “The Story of Oil and Gas: How Oil and Gas Are Explored, Drilled and Produced” for readers who have not seen an oil field.
