A step closer to wave power breakthrough

ARENA CEO Ivor Frischknecht joined the Minister for Industry the Hon Ian Macfarlane at the unveiling of three newly constructed CETO units at the Australian Marine Complex in Henderson, WA.

“ARENA is very pleased to be supporting this vital project, which will install three 240kW CETO Units, with $13.1 million funding,” Mr Frischknecht said.

“The units being unveiled today are the heart of the project which is set to be a landmark demonstration of a complete grid-connected, commercial scale CETO wave energy installation.

“The three units will be tethered in an array that uses the energy in the ocean’s waves to drive offshore seabed pumps with the high-pressure water carried via a subsea pipeline to an onshore power station, driving hydroelectric turbines.

“The high pressure water can also be fed into an onshore desalination plant, supplying fresh water without the need for electrically-driven pumps.

“Australia’s wave energy resources along our south and south-west coasts are among the best in the world and, importantly, can be reliably predicted days ahead.

“There is great long-term potential for wave energy in Australia, with a range of competitive Australian technologies being developed towards commercialisation.”

Mr Frischknecht said the energy produced by the Carnegie Wave Energy project would be purchased by the Australian Department of Defence, supplying energy to the nation’s largest naval base, HMAS Stirling.

“This project will generate Carnegie’s first revenues and, although a relatively small generator, is a significant step forward in commercialisation of the CETO wave energy technology,” Mr Frischknecht said.

“This is a prime example of how ARENA is supporting technologies through demonstration towards bankability to increase the competitiveness of renewable energy.”