Oceantec WEC set for September deployment

The deployment of Oceantec wave energy converter, designed by Oceantec Energías Marinas, as part of the EU-funded OPERA project is planned for September at bimep, off Spain.

Preparatory activities aimed at de-risking the four OPERA project innovations are well advanced, Tecnalia informed on social media.

The shared mooring, conventional tether and umbilical cable have been already installed at the Biscay Marine Energy Platform (bimep) open-sea testing site.

The Oceantec point absorber oscillating water column (OWC) floating device with a Wells turbine is planned to be deployed and grid connected in September, according to Tecnalia.

Project OPERA (Open Sea Wave Operating Experience to Reduce Energy Cost), coordinated by Tecnalia and Ente Vasco de la Energía (EVE), involves the consortium of 12 members with the aim to halve the cost of wave energy.

This first deployment is nationally-funded and facilitates the provision of baseline experimental data to be used in OPERA.

Process instrumentation has already been selected and its deployment is also planned in September in order to monitor additional environmental and mooring data, Tecnalia said.

Bimep is research infrastructure dedicated for demonstrating the technical and economic viability of marine energy converters prior to their large-scale commercialisation, located 1.7 km off Armintza, Spain, with a generating capacity of 20MW.