MoU signed for 6 MW wave energy array in Spain

Australian wave energy developer Carnegie Clean Energy has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Biscay Marine Energy Platform (BiMEP) and commenced the development of a 6 MW wave energy array in Spain’s Basque Country.

The proposed project would consist of six 1 MW commercial-scale CETO units, linked to the grid through BiMEP’s existing offshore infrastructure. According to Carnegie, the array marks the next step in the company’s commercialization strategy, following the planned deployment of its ACHIEVE CETO unit at the same site.

Carnegie is said to already be engaged in project development and intends to progress activities such as design, grid connection studies, funding models, and partnership structuring.

“Working alongside BiMEP, the Basque Energy Cluster and our local partners and supply chain through the ACHIEVE Programme has shown us that the Basque Country shares our passion for ocean energy solutions. This makes the Basque Country a great location for this next phase of CETO’s commercialisation journey,” said Carnegie CEO Jonathan Fiévez.

“Building upon the strong groundwork already laid, the agreement with BiMEP provides a clear pathway for us to explore the development of a multi-megawatt CETO array. It is a significant stride towards proving CETO’s commercial viability at scale, aligning with our dedication to delivering clean, reliable wave energy solutions to markets worldwide, particularly in resource-rich regions like the Basque Country.”

The ACHIEVE program is already operating under a BiMEP testing contract. Carnegie has since built up a local team and established operational experience at the site, which it plans to leverage for the array.

“Our strategic aim is to provide suitable test facilities that help accelerate the path to commercial marine energy,” said BiMEP’s Technical Director Yago Torre-Enciso.

“Therefore, with 20MW worth of capacity available across the BiMEP berths, we welcome the opportunity to work with Carnegie to expand from a single CETO unit to an array deployment. While BiMEP has hosted single wave devices in the past, our berths have the ability to support the small arrays which are an important part of the marine energy industry’s growth. We look forward to working with Carnegie towards their 6MW Array in the Basque Country.”

The MoU will be in effect for five years, with each party covering its costs, unless otherwise agreed.

Carnegie plans to deploy and operate a CETO prototype at BiMEP in 2025, with a two-year operational period aimed at gathering performance data to validate the technology and support commercialization.

CETO is a fully submerged, point absorber-type wave energy technology device. A submerged buoy sits a few meters below the surface and moves with the ocean’s waves. This orbital motion drives a power take-off (PTO) system that converts this motion into electricity.

Earlier in July, Carnegie appointed German investment firm DGWA as its advisor for European financial markets and investor relations.

In May, the wave energy developer and rotating equipment supplier SKF joined forces to work on commercializing CETO wave energy technology.