By Isabella Kaminski

Mutriku, said to be the world’s first commerical wave power facility, was developed by Basque utility company Ente Vasco de la Energía (EVE) using equipment supplied by manufacturer Voith Hydro.

The 300 kW plant is made up 16 wave power units and is based in the Basque port of Mutriku, between Bilbao and San Sebastian in the North of Spain.

Dr Roland Muench, CEO of Voith Hydro Holding, says: “The rising global demand for green energy is proving to be a strong catalyst for the implementation of innovative forms of renewable energy. The Mutriku project shows our wave power technology is commercially viable and ready for wide deployment on the global markets. To further this development, adequate feed-in-tariffs for wave power, as already exist in some countries, can now set the right political framework.”