Eco Wave Power has received an installation and grid connection permit of 1MW from the Portuguese government for its 1MW pilot project at the Barra do Douro breakwater in Porto.
The permit is in the form of a Small-Production Unit Registration approval (registration number 5089) from the Portuguese Directorate-General for Energy and Geology (DGEG).
The Small-Production Unit Registration approval is the first permit required by Eco Wave Portugal to proceed with the actual installation and grid connection of a first 1MW wave energy power station on the ocean side of the Barra do Douro breakwater.
The 1MW project is planned to be the first stage of the 20MW Concession Agreement entered into with APDL (Administracao dos Portos do Douro, Leixoes e Viana do Castelo) on April 2020, for the potential usage of four locations owned and operated by APDL.
Upon completion of the installation and grid connection works, Eco Wave Portugal will require a final operation certificate from DGEG for the operation of the power station.
This project is in line with Portugal’s National Energy and Climate Plan for 2021-2030, otherwise known as PNEC 2030, which has set an objective for Portugal to ensure 47% of renewable sources in its gross final energy consumption by 2030.
Portugal’s wave energy resource can supply 34GW of power capacity, according to the Portuguese Government.
Eco Wave Power’s project will be a significant milestone in the adoption of wave and ocean energy in Portugal and will contribute greatly towards the country’s goal under the PNEC 2030 plan, of implementing 70MW of wave power capacity by 2030.
Inna Braverman, founder and CEO of Eco Wave Power, stated: “We are pleased to announce the Small-Production Unit Registration approval for our first planned 1MW wave energy project in Portugal.
“This is a huge leap towards the deployment of our first one MW wave energy power plant in Portugal.
“We would like to thank the Ministry of Environment and Climate Action, DGEG, PLMJ, Painhas, and all the other parties who are involved to support this first-of-a-kind project in Portugal.
“We believe that the successful execution of this project will mark the start of a new and exciting era for the wave energy sector in Portugal and around the globe.”