The first pilot turbine for the new tidal current power plant was built and developed by Voith in Heidenheim/Germany. In cooperation with the Korean partner Renetec, Voith will now install the pre-assembled 110 kW-prototype in Korea for test purposes. The trial phase is going to run until the end of 2010, after which construction work of the tidal current power plant will officially begin. The power station will have a rated output of 150 MW, enough to cover the annual power requirements of about 100,000 households.

"The project is a classic example for the excellent cooperation between Germany and Korea and represents a crucial milestone on the road to the commercial utilization of ocean energy," stated Dr. Hubert Lienhard, Chairman of the Board of Voith AG. "We are convinced that in the medium term, ocean energy will have the same significance as wind energy today. It is a market of the future, which Voith will actively endorse with innovative technologies."

The energy potential from the seas is enormous: worldwide, it is estimated to be at least 1,100 GW, which corresponds to the output of some 1,000 nuclear power stations. The World Energy Council is convinced that approximately 15% of the global energy demand can be satisfied through the utilization of ocean power resources (waves, tides, ocean currents).

Voith is setting standards in the markets paper, energy, mobility and service. Founded in January 1867, with approximately 39,000 employees, a turnover of Euro 5.1 billion and 280 locations world-wide, Voith is today one of Europe's large family-owned companies.