OES-Environmental distributes metadata forms (questionnaires) to solicit information from developers involved in environmental monitoring around marine renewable energy project sites around the world. This page provides project descriptions, baseline assessment, post-installation monitoring, and links to available data and reports. Content is updated on an annual basis.

Jiangxia Pilot Tidal Power Plant

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Description

Jiangxia Tidal Power Plant is the fourth largest tidal station in the world after the Sihwa Lake Tidal Power Plant in Korea, La Rance in France and Annapolis in Canada. It has 6 bulb turbine generator units, operating in both ebb and flood tides, producing an annual power output of 7.3x106 kWh . The power station has 69 employees. The power station feeds the energy demand of small villages at a 20 km (12 mi) distance, through a 35 kV transmission line. The maximum tidal range in the estuary is 8.39 m (27.5 ft).

Location

This station is located at the north end of Yueqing Bay, East China Sea, near the city of Wenling, China.

Project Progress

It has started the construction from 1974. The first set of turbines generated electricity in 1980. The whole project of Jiangxia Tidal Power Plant was completed in 1985, which installed one set generator of 500 kW, one set of 600 kW and three sets of 700 kW with the total capacity of 3.2 MW. In June 2007, the 6th set generator was successfully developed and connected to the grid and the total installed capacity reached 3.9 MW. In 2014, in the support of the 3rd round of SFPMRE, the 1st generator upgraded from 500kw to 700kw, which bring the total installed capacity reached to 4.1MW.  For years the engineering staff of Jiangxia plant devoted to industrialization research works of tidal generating and had made remarkable achievements in reliability of the generator sets, sediments reducing in reservoir, erosion protecting, floating method, operating automation and optimal scheduling. Since June 2009, automation and safety of the plant have been great improved after technological upgrading for the 3rd and 4th generator sets. According to the latest figures of 2016, total power output of Jiangxia pilot tidal power plant is 1.57x109 kWh since it combined to grid of East China on Jan 26, 1986.

Key Environmental Issues

Jiangxia power station is doing well in comprehensive utilization of reservoir. It makes great profit in planting in reservoir reclamation land, aquaculture and shellfish farming and accumulates abundant experience for optimization of eco-environment (Wang et al., 2011). Jiangxia Tidal Power Station operates well with only several major technology modifications and never caused any significant environmental problem. It has been proven that reasonable choice of the power station site can reduce the environmental impact to an acceptable level. According to the latest data from Jiangxia power station in 2016, the reservoir storage capacity of 2011 had been reduced by 5x105 m3 comparing with 1998, which caused an energy capacity loss of 2.9x105 kWh. Even though, it is not serious to consider about dredging. For keeping the reservoir storage capacity, human activities (especially for aquacultures) in station area have been prohibited by management department.

Papers, Reports, Research Studies