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Korea to Establish Ocean Current Power Plant |
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Friday, 30 May 2008 |
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The Myeongnyang Strait off the coast of South Jeolla Province boasts the country's strongest tidal currents. With currents up to six meters per second, among the world's fastest, the strait deserves its nickname of "Uldolmok" the "roaring channel." Now the government plans to harness those powerful tidal currents to generate energy. A massive crane was seen there on Tuesday lowering a 1,000-ton structure into the sea. That piece of equipment, as large as a 17-story apartment building, is at the heart of this innovative energy project. The Korea Ocean Research and Development Institute says power generation testing will be possible at Uldolmok toward the year's end after a turbine and a generator are installed. When running at full speed the tidal stream generator will produce some annual 2,400 megawatts of energy. That's enough to power 400 Korean households for an entire year. If successfully launched within this year it will make Korea the first in the world to commercialize tidal currents.
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Ocean Energy News 
