Cornish firm to supply world's largest wave farm in Portugal

The deal means Orecon will deploy its first full-scale patented offshore wave device, the  1.5 megawatt (MW) Multi Resonant Chambers (MRC) wave energy buoy. The device uses the principle of the oscillating water column, so has no moving parts within the water; volumes of air are pushed and drawn through turbines which are directly coupled to the electrical generators all located above the waterline.

To develop the farm, Orecon is establishing a joint venture company with Portugal's Eneólica, a developer specialising in electricity from renewable energy sources including wind, wave, solar, biomass and hydro power.

The MRC site will be connected to the Portuguese electricity grid and deliver power for up to 1500 homes. When the first unit has been connected, two further MRCs will be added to the site, increasing the power output to 4.5 MW, making it the world’s largest operating wave farm to date and providing power for nearly 5000 homes. The partners intend to develop further multi-megawatt sites in Portugal over the next 10 years.

Orecon’s ceo, David Crisp, commented: “We are delighted to be working with such an experienced and forward thinking farm developer like Eneólica and are confident that the partnership can deliver a commercially successful project.”

Eneólica’s ceo, Agostinho Ribeiro, added: “We are very happy to be able to work with Orecon in the development of this project, given the great potential of the technology and also the high competence and experience of Orecon´s team, which is one of the most important assets for the success of this project.”