French wave energy developer Seaturns has secured €2.45 million to support the industrialization and deployment of its wave energy technology, following a fundraising round backed by 1,543 investors on the LITA.co platform.
According to Seaturns, the round also included contributions from long-standing partners such as Team for the Planet, Sébastien Duez, and Lawrence Sigaud, who is joining the company as Deputy Chief Executive Officer.
“This support is crucial to deploy our full-scale demonstrator from the summer of 2025 and accelerate our industrial development,” said Vincent Tournerie , Founding President of Seaturns.
The funding is said to enable the deployment of a scale-1 demonstrator at the SEM-REV test site managed by OPEN-C Foundation, mark the beginning of industrial-scale production, and support international commercialization activities.
The announcement follows 18 months of sea trials conducted at Ifremer, where Seaturns’ wave energy device demonstrated robustness, performance, and potential to contribute to decarbonized power generation across Europe and beyond.
The SEM-REV site is operated by the OPEN-C Foundation and equipped with subsea infrastructure, environmental monitoring tools, and technical support. These resources aim to reduce industrial and environmental risks before market entry, Seaturns added.
The company designed its wave energy converter (WEC) focusing on cost efficiency, streamlined offshore installation, ease of maintenance, and minimal environmental impact. The company aims to reduce production and operating costs compared to existing wave energy technologies.
According to Seaturns, its technology harnesses ocean wave motion to generate electricity. The system consists of a cylindrical WEC, anchored using a patented solution that converts horizontal wave movement into a pitching motion. Inside the WEC, a water pendulum and air chambers create airflow that drives a turbine coupled to an alternator, producing electricity.
In April, Seaturns launched the fundraising campaign to scale up its wave power technology after several years of research, development, and testing. Two months later, the company signed an agreement with Fondation OPEN-C to deploy a full-scale demonstrator at the SEM-REV offshore test site near Le Croisic, with installation scheduled for summer 2025.