Penzhinsky TPP is one of the largest tidal power plants in the world, the construction of the first stage of which is planned to be completed by 2035. In the case of the project, electric energy will be generated by the passage of large volumes of water through the station’s turbines during the ebb and flow. The average annual output may range from 50 to 200 billion kWh.
Historical reference
The prospects for tidal power plants were highly appreciated back in the 20s of the last century. However, scientific and technological development did not allow the construction of such large-scale facilities. In 1966, France completed the construction of one of the world's largest La Rance PESs, capable of generating up to 240 MW of electricity. Two years later, the Soviet Union launched the experimental Kislogub station on the Kola Peninsula with a capacity of 0.4 MW, later increased to 1.7 MW. In the future, similar structures appeared in the USA, Canada, India, Great Britain, and China.
In 2011, the Sikhwin Tidal Power Plant in South Korea was commissioned, setting a record capacity of 254 MW. But even it cannot be compared with the Penzhinsky TPP, which is being designed in Russia, and its energy production can exceed 100 GW.
Century project
Such a loud definition is very suitable for the ambitious task set for Russian engineers, power engineers and builders. In 1972, the Hydroproject Institute and the Moscow Scientific Research Institute of Energy Structures began research work on the design of the Penzhinskaya TPP. The status of the project is at the stage of development and active discussion between a number of scientific and industrial sectors. The issues of logistics and attracting investments of partner countries from Asia, interested in low-cost clean electricity, are examined, unique construction technologies are being rolled in.
Shelikhov Bay is not accidentally selected as the location of a unique PES. The basin area is large (20,500 km 2 ), while the strait, which is planned to be blocked, is rather narrow by ocean standards and shallow. The waters of the Sea of Okhotsk at the peak of the tide rise up to 13 m, which guarantees high productivity of the station.
Tasks
In total, it is planned to build two phases of the facility:
- The Northern Sash (Penzhinskaya PES-1) will stretch for 32 km at depths up to 26 m. Its capacity is estimated at 21 GW, which equals 72 billion kWh of electricity per year.
- The Southern Target (PES-2) will be even larger: depths of up to 67 m, length of about 72 km. The power of the second stage will be incredible - 87.4 GW (more than 200 billion kWh).
The commissioning of the station will not only solve the energy issue of the entire Far Eastern region of Russia, but also has incredible export potential. However, before the practical implementation of the project, many complex problems still need to be discussed: from the issues of construction and operation in difficult climatic conditions (ice thickness in winter reaches 1.5 m), to the transmission of electricity over long distances.
Construction technology
If the project can be implemented on a planned scale, the photo of the Penzhinskaya TPP will impress with an incredible scale. The station will become one of the largest man-made objects of mankind.
The most difficult will be the construction of solid platinum. Since construction by the bulk method is impossible due to difficulties with the extraction and delivery of building materials (huge volumes of land, stones, concrete are required), it was decided to “grow” the dam by washing the soil from the bottom of the bay. Fortunately, the world has accumulated rich experience in creating artificial islands.
Then, individual thin-walled concrete blocks (250 m long and 30 m wide) will be introduced into platinum, into which hydraulic turbines (10 per block) will be installed, capable of rotating under the action of tidal streams of water. The power of each unit will be 20 MW.
Naturally, locks through which ships pass, as well as special fish passage facilities, will be built into the construction of the Penzhinskaya PES. By the way, a highway will pass along the top of the dam, which will allow connecting Magadan and the Kamchatka Territory in a straight line.
The countries of the Pacific region (first of all, South Korea) will surely act as partners. Here, part of the blocks (and possibly all) will be manufactured in full operational readiness, then transported by sea to Penzhinsky Bay and installed on a prepared base. By the way, a similar cooperation experience has already been tested in the development of the Sakhalin oil and gas field.
Competitors
A number of Asian countries are already implementing tidal station projects. First of all, it is China and South Korea. Since 1980, technologies based on the Jianxia Power Station (3.2-3.9 MW) have been tested in the Celestial Empire. In the future, it is planned to build larger facilities at the mouth of the Yalu and Yangtze rivers. The capacity of the latter can be 22.5 GW, which is four times less than the Penzhinsky TPP.
South Korea has moved much further. In addition to the largest power plant, in Gyeonggi Province, design work is underway to build a similar facility in Incheon. Its capacity will reach 800 (and possibly 1320) MW.