Carnegie mulls Rottnest Island, UK for next generation wave sites

Perth-based Carnegie Wave Energy has brushed aside the failure of one of its machines in Reunion Island and announced it has now identified four sites for its next generation, and much larger, CETO 6 machine.

Carnegie says it has identified two sites near Perth, and two sites in the UK for the possible deployment of CETO 6, which will be at least twice the capacity of the 240kW CETO 5 units being installed at the Perth Wave Energy Project near Garden Island, and may prove to the model that leads to full commercial deployment.

The sites being considered by Carnegie include an expansion of the Garden Island project, although into deeper waters, and another site on the western side of Rottnest Island, also near Perth.

It has also identified two sites in the UK, although it has yet to gain approval. However, the final decision may come down to financing support, and the company says it is in discussions with the various governments on grant funding.

In the UK, it will likely get access to renewable obligation certificates (like Australia’s RECs), which will tranlate into 50c/kWh. Wave energy and other technologies qualify for multiple ROCs under the UK scheme.

Carnegie hopes to reveal details of the new CETO 6 design shortly. It says improvements in efficiency will also offer a “significant step change” in the cost of generation.

It plans to deploy the CETO 6 in a multiple array – as it has done with CETO 5 at Garden Island – before moving on to larger installations.

Rottnest, a favourite holiday destination and an A-Class Nature Reserve, currently sources its energy with expensive diesel which has to be transported via burge. Carnegie says it also has an excellent wave energy resource and it will carry out a feasibility study to provide power and desalinated water to the island.

Carnegie also played down the incident in Reunion Island, where a modified version of one of its earlier models was swept away in cyclonic conditions when a tether broke. It says the project partners, EdF and DCNS, were looking at the possibility of using a later (unmodified) model for their project.

Carnegie shares gained 0.2c, or nearly 4%, to 5.4c on the ASX on Wednesday. The company is capitalised at around $84 million