Wave energy developer Carnegie Wave Energy Limited announced the development and funding application for a 5MW CETO demonstration project off British Columbia, Canada.
Carnegie, through its British Columbian based subsidiary Pacific Coastal Wave Energy Corporation (PCWE), has been developing the Ucluelet Wave Energy Project for over two years. Significantly, the Project is supported by the Province of British Columbia through the award of a CA$2m grant from the Innovative Clean Energy (ICE) Fund.
In addition, Carnegie’s subsidiary, PCWE, has now submitted a formal proposal to the Canadian Government, via Natural Resources Canada, for project grant funding under the ecoENERGY Innovation Initiative (ecoEII). A decision is expected in Quarter 1, 2012.
Project development activities to date include site and wave resource assessment, environmental scoping, conceptual design, fatal flaw analysis and securing of an offshore investigative licence through the BC Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) is also in place with independent engineering firm Hatch Ltd for the provision of Engineering, Environmental and Project Management Services to the Project.
Carnegie’s CEO and Managing Director, Dr Michael Ottaviano said,
“Canada has an enormous, untapped wave energy resource which, combined with its technology development capabilities and attractive fiscal, policy and regulatory environments, provide an appealing location for commercial development of Carnegie’s CETO technology.
The Ucluelet Project is well advanced and, subject to securing the necessary funding and approvals, will provide the opportunity to demonstrate CETO on a commercial scale and help to grow Canada’s marine renewable energy sector.”
The Project has the strong support of the District of Ucluelet, who has been working with PCWE since its inception and is keen to develop wave energy in the District. PCWE have also actively engaged with First Nations and other key stakeholders who have been supportive of the Project.
The Project site is located at Amphitrite Point, Ucluelet on the west coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia.
The Project will demonstrate the technology in a fully exposed ocean location and will enable future Project expansion at the site and roll out of projects in Canada and internationally. Building Canada’s first commercial scale wave energy demonstration project, will contribute to the development of a worldleading marine energy industry in Canada and will help move Canada further along the pathways identified in Canada’s Marine Renewable Energy Technology Roadmap.
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Offshore WIND staff, December 08, 2011; Image: carnegiewave