Albany wave energy project has moved closer to fruition after the WA Labor, the party who made the Au$19.5 million pledge for the project, won the election.
The project, which attracted the interest of Australian clean energy projects developer Carnegie Clean Energy (CCE), will be delivered in stages, involving an initial 1MW unit followed by a 20MW wave farm off Albany, Western Australia.
Western Australia’s (WA) Labor party has recently committed to invest Au$19.5 million in the project should the party be elected.
Commenting on the project and the election of the new WA government, Michael Ottaviano , Managing Director of CCE, said:
“We’re delighted to be working with the newly elected Government of Western Australia to deliver on the potential of wave energy at Albany. Wave energy justifiably demands the sort of investment that other power technologies, whether fossil fuel or renewable, have benefited from and the Government’s $19.5 million commitment is a strong step towards this.”
As part of the project, CCE said it is undertaking consultation with the local community, industry and other stakeholder groups, as well as seeking further regulatory approvals including environmental approvals, planning consent and grid connection approval.
Should the 20MW Albany wave farm prove successful, according to CCE, the project could be further expanded to 100MW.