Sino-Dutch consortium spends up on feasibility study for tidal energy
Chinese and Dutch money and know-how are being applied to a potential US$15b project that hinges on a large and costly feasibility study
A Sino-Dutch consortium is spending tens of millions of US dollars on a feasibility study for a project to harness tidal energy to produce clean power.
Eight Dutch engineering firms and university institutes have joined industry and academic partners on the mainland in the venture.
The project, worth up to US$15 billion, would also need to have its environmental impact assessed. It has the potential to help China lessen its dependence on foreign suppliers and increase production of clean energy to help cut air pollution.
But even if it passes economic and environmental muster, the venture carries immense risks as its viability can only be proven if a full-scale project is built.
"The biggest challenge is that the project must be done on a big scale in order to be economically viable," Rob Steijn, one of the inventors of the technology whose feasibility is being studied for the proposed mainland projects, told the South China Moring Post.
"It is a big step both in terms of investment and risks for society and investors to accept, so government support is key."