Photo showing Inna Braverman with Luis Cunha during a visit at APDL’s breakwaters in Portugal (Courtesy of Eco Wave Power)

Eco Wave Power secures permits for 1MW wave energy scheme in Portugal

Eco Wave Power has through its Portuguese subsidiary secured an installation and grid connection permit for a 1MW wave energy pilot project planned for the Barra do Douro breakwater in Porto.

Inna Braverman with Luis Cunha during a visit at APDL’s breakwaters in Portugal (Courtesy of Eco Wave Power)
Photo showing Inna Braverman with Luis Cunha during a visit at APDL’s breakwaters in Portugal (Courtesy of Eco Wave Power)
Inna Braverman with Luis Cunha, head of electrical divison at ADPL, during a visit at APDL’s breakwaters in Portugal (Courtesy of Eco Wave Power)

The permit, secured by EW Portugal – Wave Energy Solutions Unipessoal (EW Portugal), has been granted in the form of a small-production unit registration approval by the Portuguese Directorate-General for Energy and Geology (DGEG).

The small-production unit registration approval is the first permit required by EW Portugal to proceed with the actual installation and grid-connection of the first 1MW wave energy power station on the ocean side of the Barra do Douro breakwater.

The 1MW project is planned to be the first stage of the 20MW concession agreement entered into with APDL (Administração dos Portos do Douro, Leixões e Viana do Castelo) in April 2020, for the potential usage of four locations owned and operated by APDL. 

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Upon completion of the installation and grid connection works, EW Portugal will require a final operation certificate from DGEG for the operation of the power station, the company said.

The small-production unit registration approval was facilitated by EW Portugal in collaboration with the Portuguese law firm PLMJ Advogados, and the engineering and construction firm PAINHAS, which has more than 40 years of experience providing global turnkey solutions.

Inna Braverman, founder and CEO of Eco Wave Power, said: “This is a huge leap towards the deployment of our first 1MW wave energy power plant in Portugal. We would like to thank the Ministry of Environment and Climate Action, DGEG, PLMJ, Painhas, and all the other parties who are involved to support this first-of-a-kind project in Portugal.

“We believe that the successful execution of this project will mark the start of a new and exciting era for the wave energy sector in Portugal and around the globe”.

According to Eco Wave Power, the project is in line with Portugal’s National Energy and Climate Plan for 2021-2030, otherwise known as PNEC 2030, which has set an objective for Portugal to ensure 47% of renewable sources in its gross final energy consumption by 2030.

“Eco Wave Power’s project will be a significant milestone in the adoption of wave and ocean energy in Portugal and will contribute greatly towards the country’s goal under the PNEC 2030 plan, of implementing 70MW of wave power capacity by 2030”, the company said.

To remind, Eco Wave Power installed wave measurement buoy and started collecting wave data at the project site located in northwest region of Portugal late in June 2021.

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