200 MW Ocean Energy Plant Proposed in NZ

[jpak]

http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/story?id=46737

The Northland Regional Council in New Zealand received an application last week from Crest Energy, Ltd., to build a 200-megawatt tidal power plant just north of the country's largest city, Auckland. The proposed project, situated in the mouth of Kaipara Harbour, calls for two 20-mile DC cables that run across the harbor -- and the construction of a DC-AC converter and substation on land at the mouth of the Hoteo River.

Once completed in 2011, the $400 million project is expected to generate about 4% of New Zealand's annual energy supply.

According to Anthony Hopkins, director of Crest Energy, the Kaipara Harbour has a number of factors that make it suited to marine turbines. The harbor is about 40 miles long and an immense volume of water passes through a fairly narrow channel around four times a day. The lack of commercial shipping in the vicinity is also important, added Hopkins, allowing turbines to be sited about 16 feet under the low tide point.

"The relatively low labor rates and a commitment to sustainable energy make the idea of placing marine turbines for power generation in the mouth of a natural harbor not as unrealistic as it might seem in other countries. New Zealand produces over 60% of its electricity from renewable energy, primarily from hydroelectric and geothermal sources," said Hopkins.

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