Abstract
The Oosterschelde storm surge barrier is a dam that contains 62 gates that can be closed during storm surges. In 2015, the Dutch company Tocardo Tidal Power installed a 1.2MW tidal power plant in one of the gates comprising an array of 5 turbines. This report discusses the methods and results of a unique two-year monitoring program to assess impacts on both the biotic and abiotic ecosystem as well as effects on the reliability of the storm surge barrier itself. The collaborative research was undertaken by four research institutes. Changes in flow patterns were monitored and modelled, the decrease in tidal amplitude, impact on sedimentation processes, the development of numbers of porpoises and seals in the Oosterschelde and possible collisions between these mammals and the turbines were all part of the study.
The attached report is only available in Dutch. However, the appendix, a position paper on the effects of the Eastern Scheldt Storm Surge Barrier and tidal energy turbines on harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) and harbor seal (Phoca vitulina) movements, is provided in English and is available in the attached report, as well as here.