Work begins on world-first megawatt-scale wave energy project

Swedish-Israeli wave energy developer Eco Wave Power has launched construction of what it says is the first megawatt-scale wave energy project, a 1MW generator in waters off the city of Porto, Portugal.

The launch kicks off the first stage of an agreement with local port authority APDL, with plans for a gradual expansion to a full capacity of 20MW. Eco Wave Power will be responsible for securing licenses and for construction and commissioning. 

Founded in 2011 and with headquarters in both Israel and Sweden, Eco Wave Power’s patented technology centres around a “floater” that sits on top of the water and uses the rising and falling motion of waves to compress and decompress hydraulic pistons, which then transmit bio-degradable hydraulic fluid into land located accumulators. 

Designed to begin production of electricity when wave heights reach 0.5 metres and to automatically rise above the water level when a storm causes the waves to rise too high, the technology is billed by Eco Wave Power as easy to build and operate, fully modular and scalable, and low cost. 

Eco Wave Power already operates a small kilowatt-scale wave energy project in Israel and previously operated a grid-connected proof-of-concept project in Gibraltar. 

The company was awarded all necessary approvals by early 2024 to begin construction of the Porto project, and company executives and engineers marked the official kick-off of works this week. 

The project will be built in several stages, starting with a 1MW station which, subject to certain conditions, will be expanded to 20MW. 

In addition to the wave energy system, a “first of its kind wave energy museum and education center” will be built in the same room as the energy conversion equipment underneath the breakwater. 

“We believe that this will be the first wave energy project in the world to show significant energy production from the power of the waves,” Eco Wave Power founder and CEO Inna Braverman said this week.

“I truly believe that this revolutionary project will position Eco Wave Power as a leading wave energy developer and serve as a significant milestone towards the commercialization of our wave energy technology globally. 

“I would like to thank the Municipality of Porto and APDL, for being true wave energy pioneers, by enabling and supporting the development of an innovative, environmentally friendly energy generation technology, which will serve to lower the port’s carbon footprint, while creating new workplaces and an innovative industry in Portugal.”