| Sihwa Lake Tidal Power Station | |
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| Country | South Korea |
| Location | Sihwa Lake, Gyeonggi Province |
| Coordinates | |
| Status | Operational |
| Opening date | August 4 2011[1] |
| Construction cost | ₩313.5 billion |
| Owner(s) | Korean Water Resource Corporation |
| Power station | |
| Type | Tidal barrage |
| Turbines | 10 × 25.4 MW |
| Installed capacity | 254 MW |
Sihwa Lake Tidal Power Station is the world's largest tidal power installation, with a total power output capacity of 254 MW, surpassing the 240 MW Rance Tidal Power Station after 45 years.
The tidal barrage makes use of a seawall constructed in 1994 for flood mitigation and agricultural purposes. Ten 25.4 MW submerged bulb turbines are driven in an unpumped flood generation scheme; power is generated on tidal inflows only and the outflow is sluiced away. This slightly unconventional and relatively inefficient approach has been chosen to balance a complex mix of existing land use, water use, conservation, environmental and power generation considerations.[2][3]
The tidal power station is providing indirect environmental benefits as well as renewable energy generation. After the seawall was built, pollution built up in the newly created Sihwa Lake reservoir, making its water useless for agriculture. In 2004, seawater was reintroduced in the hope of flushing out contamination; inflows from the tidal barrage are envisaged as a complementary permanent solution.[2]
Cost of the project was met by the South Korean Government, totalling 313.5 billion won.[4] Mean operating tidal range is 5.6 m (18 ft), with a spring tidal range of 7.8 m (26 ft). The working basin area was originally intended to be 43 km2 (17 sq mi)[5] although this has been reduced by land reclamation and freshwater dykes. The basin will eventually be only around 30 km2 (12 sq mi).