From France to the Philippines: Pioneering Tidal Stream Energy
The San Bernardino Ocean Power Project is a transformative initiative carried out by H&WB (Filipino project developer) and SABELLA (French technology developer) to develop the Philippines’ and the ASEAN’s first commercial power plant deploying tidal in-stream turbines. The first phase sees a 3MW pilot farm, off Capul Island in San Bernardino Strait, by 2021, featuring SABELLA’s field-proven tidal turbine and onshore storage batteries. The goal is to provide a reliable supply of clean power to this off-grid area and replace the obsolete, costly and polluting diesel generators of the island.
This presentation focused on the viability and transferability of an insular energy model based on tidal power based on the return on experience from the D10 project in Ushant island, France, developed since 2015. It also discussed the technical, economic, social and environmental stakes: decarbonization, energy security improvement, cost competitiveness, entailed economic development, environmental and social acceptation of ocean energy in the Philippines.