The government of Western Australia has just approved plans for a 40MW utility-scale tidal power station in the state. It will be the first such facility in Western Australia and will be located near Derby in West Kimberley.
The project is being developed by Tidal Energy Australia and is expected to generate enough energy to power between 10,000 and 15,000 homes. It will be a double basin system consisting of six 8MW turbines generating 200 gigawatt hours of energy per year and displacing around 27,000 tons of CO2 annually. It will also bring numerous jobs to the area.
A contract for the construction of power lines to serve the main population centres in West Kimberley has still to be negotiated according to Environment Minister Albert Jacob. The design and costing for the project was completed in 2003 and although the exact cost of the project remains speculative it is likely to be slightly less than the costs for diesel. It is likely that costs will decrease considerably in the future with the rising costs of gas.
The news has been welcomed by the community of Albany, particularly the Albany Chamber of Commerce which stated that the area has long been recognised as a prime location for Australia’s first wave and tidal plant.
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