OpenHydro eyes 300 MW of tidal power projects in Indonesia

OpenHydro, the tidal turbines business of French naval defence group DCNS, will seek to deploy 300 MW of tidal energy capacity in Indonesia by 2023 under a new partnership with local sector player PT AIR.

OpenHydro said this week it has entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with PT AIR to create an alliance aimed at driving forward the development of a tidal energy industry in Indonesia. The two companies have been working together over the past 18 months and during that time have identified at least 10 locations suitable for commercial-scale projects.

The pair expect to start with a tidal energy array of up to 10 MW, for which a site will be selected over the coming months. The pilot system is planned for deployment in 2019. It will use European equipment provided by DCNS and its unit, plus locally manufactured content.

OpenHydro noted that local industrial facility options have been identified and will be assessed by the partners.

“The nature of the equipment involved in tidal energy projects results in a high level of local manufacturing content,” commented Thierry Kalanquin, chairman of OpenHydro and vice president of energy at DCNS.