Carnegie to assess wave energy potential for Seychelles

Australian wave energy developer, Carnegie Wave Energy, has been tapped to investigate the potential for a variety of wave energy solutions for the islands of Seychelles, off the south-east coast of Africa, using its world-leading CETO generation technology.

Carnegie, which in February switched on the world’s first grid-connected wave energy array in its home town of Perth, said in an ASX announcement on Friday that it had signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Republic of Seychelles to investigate opportunities for both grid-scale and microgrid-connected systems.

The agreement focuses on identifying the opportunities and development pathways for commercial wave energy plants on the Seychelles, as well as potential microgrid opportunities for CETO wave farms to be integrated into the existing power infrastructure to supply clean power and freshwater.

The MoU was announced at the inaugural Indian Ocean Rim Association Ministerial Blue Economy Conference in Mauritius, which was focused on enhancing cooperation on the “blue economy” – or ocean economy – for sustainable development in the region.

In April this year, Carnegie signed a similar deal to develop wave energy projects in Chile and Peru, using its CETO technology to help supply renewable energy and water to some of the region’s most remote island outposts.

That deal also extended to developing marine energy in the Valparaiso Region, including the Easter and Robinson Crusoe Islands – two of the most remote inhabited islands in the world.

“Carnegie has identified remote islands as an attractive early market for the CETO technology,” said chief operating officer Greg Allen in comments accompanying the announcement on Friday.

“CETO, along with enabling micro grid solutions, can enable high penetration of renewable energy, displacing imported diesel. The signing of this MoU progresses the commercialisation of CETO in remote islands in parallel to mainland markets including the UK and Europe.”