California clears key lease for wave-powered desalination pilot

California’s State Lands Commission (SLC) has approved Canadian firm Oneka Technologies’ lease application for its wave-powered desalination pilot project with the City of Fort Bragg.

“Major milestone for our Wave-Powered Desal Pilot Project with the City of Fort Bragg in California: the State Lands Commission (SLC) has approved our lease application. This authorization is a key step toward deploying our wave-powered desalination technology,” Oneka Technologies said.

The company noted that the next steps in the permitting process include regulatory reviews by the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), the US Coast Guard (USCG), the California Coastal Commission (CCC), and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

“Each step brings us closer to our goal: sustainably turning seawater into freshwater for coastal communities,” Oneka added.

In June, Oneka Technologies secured one of the regulatory approvals needed to move forward with its wave-powered desalination pilot project off the coast of Fort Bragg, California.

In 2023, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) invested nearly $10 million in seven projects aimed at accelerating the development and testing of marine energy technologies. One of those projects was Oneka Technologies’ Oneka IceCube Emergency Relief Wave-Powered Desalination.