Scope for tidal power plants in coastal areas.

Byline: Syed Fazl-E-Haider

Tidal power has not yet been fully operational in Pakistan compared to other renewable energy technologies. Tidal power plants in coastal creeks of the country, however, could play a vital role in overcoming the chronic energy shortage. In 1988, the National Institute of Oceonography (NIO) had conducted a study that showed that the 17 creeks on the coastal belt of Pakistan could generate tidal energy sufficient to meet the requirements of coastal areas at very cheap rates. Unfortunately, the study was shelved by the powerful bureaucracy for unknown reasons. Although not yet widely used, tidal energy has potential for future electricity generation. Tidal energy is an environment-friendly and more predictable resource, as compared to wind energy. The tidal energy is a form of hydropower that converts the energy obtained from tides into electricity. The cost for establishing a wave energy infrastructure is approximately equal to a wind-based power plant.

Tidal energy is produced through the use of tidal energy generators. These large underwater turbines are placed in areas with high tidal movements, and are designed to capture the kinetic motion of the ebbing and surging of ocean tides in order to produce electricity. There are very few commercial-sized tidal power plants operating in the world. The first was located in La Rance, France. The largest facility is the Sihwa Lake Tidal Power Station in South Korea. America's first tidal project became operational in December 2006, when two underwater turbines were installed in New York's East River.

Under the government of former president Pervez Musharraf in 2007, the United States had shown a keen interest in exploiting tidal energy from the creeks in the coastal belt of Pakistan. An American investor had submitted a letter of intent to harness tidal energy to the tune of 50-300MW from Wadi Khuddi and Paitani Creeks in Thatta district in Sindh and Dhad Creek near Sonmiani in Balochistan. Dhad Creek in Balochistan has the capacity to produce up to 800 MW energy theoretically but in practical terms 22 percent of its potential could be exploited. In 2012, The Tide Tec, a Norwegian company, offered to introduce ocean wave-based electricity production technology in Pakistan.

The company was willing to explore the potential of electricity production from energy harnessed from the tides and waves of Pakistan's oceans. Tide Tec specializes in developing technology for energy...