Port of Antwerp-Bruges installs water turbine at Kallo Lock

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On September 24, the Port of Antwerp-Bruges announced the installation of a water turbine at the Kallo Lock, using the water flow generated between the Scheldt River and the port docks during high and low tide to generate electricity. The equipment is arranged in the lock's existing drainage channel, driving the rotor and generator through the water flow, and the electricity generated will be used directly for the bridges, gates, and heating and cooling of the lock buildings around the Kallo Lock.

The project is jointly implemented by the Port of Antwerp-Bruges, Omexom, and De Meyer, with De Meyer responsible for the design, manufacturing, and testing of the water turbine, and Omexom responsible for connecting the equipment to the port's power grid. According to the project team's estimates, once the water turbine is put into operation, it can cover up to approximately 75% of the electricity demand of the facilities related to the Kallo Lock; when the power generation exceeds the on-site immediate electricity consumption, the surplus power can be fed back to the grid.

The Kallo Lock water turbine project builds on previous trials. The port authority had earlier tested a vertical-axis water turbine with a theoretical power of approximately 100 kW at the lock, and the actual output once reached approximately 150 kW. This new phase of the project continues to use the existing drainage channel, reducing the need for new large-scale hydraulic structures, while converting tidal currents into port electricity that can be directly consumed.

The Port of Antwerp currently has a total of 7 locks equipped with drainage channels. The operating data of the Kallo project will be used to evaluate the feasibility of promoting this technology at the remaining 6 locks, and to provide demonstration data to other European ports through the EU PIONEERS project. PIONEERS is led by the Port of Antwerp-Bruges and carries out multiple demonstration applications around clean energy, digitalization, and sustainable port infrastructure.

The existing service building at the Kallo Lock has previously completed a heat pump retrofit and is equipped with low-carbon energy facilities such as photovoltaics. The total heating capacity of the heat pump system of the lock service building is approximately 560 kW, and the related retrofit can reduce the building's energy consumption by approximately 50% compared with the baseline year. After the water turbine is connected, it will further increase the on-site renewable electricity supply.