The $375 million Derby Tidal Power Project has hit a “stalemate” with the federal government after years of being delayed, according to ABC News.
The project is designed to use the region’s massive 11m tides to produce up to 40MW of electricity.
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It proposes a 120-year life, lower electricity costs and renewable energy for the region, but managing director Brian Rourke told ABC News that technicalities had held up progress.
Located at Doctor’s Creek, the Derby Tidal Power Project was granted Environmental Protection Authority approval in 2013, however, full project approval had been delayed after its initial proposal in the late 90s due to “environmental concerns”.
“[The government] keep saying they haven’t got enough information to make an informed decision, but they won’t tell us what they need to make an informed decision,” Rourke said.
“It’s one of the few spots on the coast of Western Australia where there’s two small basins side by side,” he told ABC News.
“The idea is that you fill one basin up on high tide and empty the other on low tide.”
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The first commercial-scale tidal power plant was established in the 1960s in France, with Australia launching its first tidal project in 1996.
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