Belgian authorities have issued an approval to German wave energy developer NEMOS to construct the full-scale wave energy plant off Ostend in the North Sea.
The approval covers the construction of the shaft power station with its tower structure, as well as the license for the planned research activities over three years, NEMOS informed.
NEMOS has been conducting tests on the main components of the wave energy converter with the focus on durability to prepare the device for full-scale operations in the North Sea.
During the belt-gear shaft system testing, the mechanical core of the device has reached the aimed number of 20 million cycles, according to NEMOS.
“While at the beginning of the development phase only 2 million cycles have been achieved, the new results show an enormous increase. For operation in the sea where the same challenging loads are expected, this is conforming to a live period of more than five years,” NEMOS said.
Meanwhile, the assembly of the North Sea prototype began in February 2017 at the Belgian shipyard Gardec. The work is being supervised by NEMOS engineers, the company noted.
NEMOS wave energy system consists of an elongated floating body which is connected to the seabed by three ropes.
The movement of the waves causes the device to transmit mechanical energy to a generator which is positioned at any suitable offshore structure.