Eco Wave Power and Shell advance wave energy project at Port of Los Angeles

Eco Wave Power has received a green light from the Port of Los Angeles for the engineering plans of the wave energy project the company is developing in partnership with Shell International Exploration and Production, as well as for other documents submitted.

The Port of Los Angeles and AltaSea at the Port of LA plan to submit the final licensing documents to the Army Corps of Engineers shortly, said Eco Wave Power. Upon approval, the U.S. project is expected to be implemented within approximately six months. 

In April 2024, the Swedish-Israeli wave developer unveiled the signing of a strategic co-investment agreement with Shell, for what was described as the first wave energy project in the U.S. for both companies.

“We believe that wave energy has massive potential, and we will soon be demonstrating our pioneering technology at the Port of Los Angeles and showcasing that wave energy can be a significant force in combating climate change and powering our communities with clean, reliable energy sourced from the endless power of the ocean,”  said CEO of Eco Wave Power, Inna Braverman. 

Eco Wave Power developed a technology capable of converting ocean motion into clean, grid-connected energy, and deployed power stations across multiple sites. 

The company previously carried out a three-month feasibility study to identify the top locations for commercial onshore wave energy stations across the U.S. coastline. 

In early 2022, Eco Wave Power entered into a collaboration agreement with AltaSea and unveiled plans to relocate its energy conversion unit from Gibraltar to AltaSea’s campus at the Port of Los Angeles.

The company has a pilot station at AltaSea at the Port of Los Angeles. Currently on static display, the station is set to be installed in the coming months and will be the first onshore wave energy pilot station in the U.S. The pilot station was deployed to the Port of Los Angeles in December 2022. 

The Marine Energy Technologies Acceleration Act, legislation that would invest $1 billion to propel marine energy toward full-scale commercialization, was introduced in August to the U.S. House of Representatives. 

Eco Wave Power supported the Act, which would allocate funding to the U.S. Department of Energy’s (U.S. DOE’s) Water Power Technologies Office (WPTO) for demonstration projects, research and development, resource mapping, workforce development, and streamlining permitting processes.