Hydroelectric turbine manufacturer Tocardo International has begun manufacturing six free-flow turbines for installation in Nepal and Japan, HydroWorld.com has learned.
As per a March agreement, the Dutch company will supply 8 MW-worth of bi-directional turbine power to Japan over a three-year period, and 2.5 MW of uni-directional turbine power to Nepal.
Installation of the company's T100 generating units in Nepal is part of The Netherlands' Private Sector Investment Program, which has allocated funds to create a joint venture between Tocardo and Nepal's Glow Tech Solutions.
The company describes its free-flow, in-stream units as "underwater wind turbines", with each unit generating power from sea, tidal and river currents.
Tocardo says both countries have been identified as regions where "sustainable, low-cost renewable energy is becoming increasingly important", and that each has a "particular potential for tidal and in-stream technology".
HydroWorld.com reported in July that Tocardo had joined six other renewable energy companies in forming the Netherlands' "Orange Goes Green" initiative.
