CorPower Ocean is set to launch its wave energy project in the Atlantic Ocean after securing a 10-year license from the Portuguese authority.
The TUPEM license – awarded by the national Directorate-General for Natural Resources (DGRM) – provides a ‘Permit for the Private Use of the Maritime Space’ up to 12 miles off the coast of Aguçadoura in northern Portugal.
CorPower Ocean Country Manager Miguel Silva said the permit unlocks the demonstration phase of the firm’s flagship HiWave-5 project, paving the way for a new class of high-efficiency WEC products.
The Swedish-headquartered developer is currently fabricating its first commercial-scale C4 WEC – 9x18m, weighing 60 tonnes with a 300kW power rating. Dry testing is scheduled for Spring 2021, before ocean installation in the second half of 2021. This will be followed by a cycle of testing and design updates to further develop the commercial stage C5 machines. A total of three C5 machines will then be installed in Aguçadoura in 2023 to form a grid-connected pilot array and secure type certification.
