Wave power in pipeline for NT

Northern Territory News
Wednesday 15/9/2010 Page: 27

AN ENERGY company has been given the first stage of approval to set up tidal power turbines off the Territory coast. Tenax Energy Pty Ltd was last week granted a licence to occupy an area within the Clarence Strait. But they are yet to obtain regulatory approvals. Tenax Energy managing director Alan Major said the NT was in a unique position, with thousands of kilometres of coastline and some of the best tides in the world.

"Tenax Energy set about researching how to maximise this natural resource to generate clean, renewable energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions", he said. Mr Major said more than 7000 tidal-energy turbines could be installed to satisfy the power needs of the Asia Pacific region. He said the company wanted to install an array of tidal-energy turbines in the fast-running currents of Clarence Strait. "The Clarence Strait project will supply renewable energy that is invisible, predictable, cost effective and in harmony with the environment", he said. "The generating capability of tidal generators is predictable, with exceptional accuracy many years in advance. "Twice a day, every day, the sea rises and falls... creating powerful and reliable water currents".

Mr Major said the development would go a long way to helping the NT achieve a 20% renewable energy target by 2020. "I am quite excited about the project... the first project of its type in Australia. "With all this growth in the Darwin region in the residential and industrial sectors, we see it as imperative that large-scale, renewable energy generation is made available", he said.