$1 million wave energy project rolls on

Carnegie Wave Energy’s efforts to generate electricity from waves has reached several major milestones.

The manufacture of the pile foundations for the Perth project is complete and payments of more than $387,000 have been received from the Western Australian and federal government.

The Australian wave energy developer announced on October 7, Victorian-based energy and resources sector supplier Keppel Prince Engineering – which was contracted to supply and fabricate the foundations in July – had finished.

According to the company, the installation of the pile foundations is on track and scheduled for later this year.

Carnegie’s installation contractor, Fugro Seacore Australia has also confirmed the safe arrival of the foundation installation vessel, the Ensung – a self-elevating platform – to the Australian Maritime Complex in Henderson, Western Australia.

The Ensung will be fitted in coming weeks in preparation for the foundation installation.

Carnegie received $387,870 of government grants for the completion of foundation milestone 4a under its Low Emissions Energy Development (LEED) and ARENA grants respectively. The $31 million, 2MW development is backed by a number of Australian investors, including John Poynton, Tim Roberts, Dale Alcock and Tim Holmes.

Carnegie Wave Energy is the owner and developer of CETO Wave Energy Technology, which operates under water where it is protected from large storms and invisible from the shore. Fully submerged buoys are tethered to seabed pump units and move with the motion of the passing waves to drive the pumps. The pumps pressurise water, which is delivered onshore via a subsea pipe.

Onshore, high-pressure water is used to drive hydroelectric turbines, generating zero-emission electricity. The high-pressure water can also be used to supply a reverse osmosis desalination plant, replacing or reducing reliance on greenhouse gas-emitting, electrically-driven pumps usually required for such plants.

The technology is also capable of generating power offshore should the specific characteristics of a project site require it.

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