Swedish-Israeli company Eco Wave Power (EWP) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Pecém Complex for the implementation of its wave power plant in the facilities of Pecém Port in the northeastern Brazil.
According to the terms of the MoU, the parties are interested in the construction, installation and operation of wave energy arrays with the technology provided by EWP.
The Pecém Complex is an industrial and port complex established as a joint venture between shareholders Government of Ceará (70%) and the Port of Rotterdam (30%).
The parties plan to set up an array of grid connected wave energy converters to be installed on the breakwater of Pecém Port with the capacity of up to 9MW.
They will also work together to re-design EWP’s wave energy converts for use in tropical waters, aiming to maximize the net capacity factor, according to EWP.
The project in Brazil will also serve to collect firsthand and real-life data and experience regarding onshore wave energy converters investment, construction, and operation, and for deepening the understanding and experience in obtaining permits, compliance with relevant laws and standards for the EWP wave energy projects.
The actions to be carried out in connection with this MoU will serve as a preparatory phase for the implementation of the project and will be accompanied by a dedicated project team, composed of representatives from each of the parties, according to EWP.
During the preparatory phase, the objective will be to complete a pre-feasibility analysis of the project in Pecém Complex area, as well as to finalize the preliminary development of the project proposal.
In addition, the MoU and its derivatives will serve as a preparation for the concession agreement to be signed between the parties, through positive results of the pre-feasibility analysis.
Danilo Serpa , CEO of Pecém Complex, said: “Port of Pecém hosted from 2010 to 2015 the first full-scale wave energy converter prototype in Latin America. It was a research and development project that gave us the know-how to proceed to this next stage, which consists of use of wave energy on a commercial scale in Pecém.
“EWP has a simple and viable technology that can use the port’s existing marine structures to produce clean electricity from the waves. This is fully in line with the objectives of our port to become the first port terminal in the world to carry out an ocean energy test in tropical waters. This is our contribution to the fight against climate change”.
Inna Braverman , the founder and CEO of EWP, added: “We are extremely excited to collaborate with the Port of Pecém, which strives for leadership and innovation in the production of clean energy from the waves”.
According to a study by the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (COPPE / UFRJ) in 2019, Brazil has an estimated wave energy potential of 91.8GW, considering the 7,491 km of the Brazilian coast.
The study points out that the conversion of just one fifth of this potential would be enough to supply around 35% of the country’s electricity demand, EWP said.
Another study, from the Federal University of ABC, in 2020, has calculated that only the northeast region of Brazil, where Port of Pecém is located, would have an estimated ocean energy potential of 22 GW, according to EWP.