Penguin embarks on journey to Spain

The Penguin wave energy converter has started the journey towards the coast of Basque Country where it will be tested at the Biscay Marine Energy Platform (BiMEP).

The two-week trip, which began in Orkney on 26 September, 2020, will see Finnish wave energy developer Wello’s device towed by the En Avant 30 tug down the Irish Sea, along the French western coast, and to its new home in Armintza.

The tug operations are being performed by the Italian offshore energy services major Saipem, which will also be conducting the marine operations on the Penguin device during the planned two-year testing period.

The deployment of the 600kW device to the Basque waters is expected in mid-October, according to Wello.

It will then take up position at its moorings in BiMEP, an open sea restricted site for trialing wave and wind-powered devices, located 1.5 kilometres off the northern Spanish coast.

The operation is part of the first joint project between Wello and Saipem, which aims to optimize the installation procedure and operability of the Penguin wave energy device, and showcase competitive advantages of similar cooperation deals.