Along with the support of La Région Bretagne, Fortum will be responsible for the project development and will be the owner of the demonstration park. DCNS will manage the site development and construction work.
The WaveRoller technology chosen for this project was developed by AW-Energy. It is a submerged wave energy converter, based on a hinged panel that is attached to the sea bed in the near shore area. It generates electricity from the back and forth movement of the waves (surge phenomenon) and is connected to the electric grid on the shore.
This agreement extends a wave power research and development collaboration initiated in 2011 by DCNS and Fortum.
“Wave power is an important part of DCNS’ development of sustainable energy solutions. This far-reaching agreement is a strong commitment to participate in the development of WaveRoller. By investing our know-how in this cooperation we aim at securing our position in the emerging marine renewable market,” said Thierry Kalanquin, senior vice-president services and marine energy, DCNS.
“This is an important milestone towards the commercialization of the WaveRoller technology,” added John Liljelund, CEO of AW-Energy. “The long-term agreement paves the way for making WaveRoller an economically feasible solution to produce blue energy worldwide. Wave energy is indeed the world’s densest renewable energy sources, with huge power generating potential. We are excited to be able to take advantage of the excellent skills of our partners.”
“Marine renewable energies offer an important industrial opening for Brittany and we intend to make the most of this,” said Dominique Ramard, vice president energy, Bretagne region. “A race against the clock has begun, with major projects expected in the next few years. WaveRolleroffers Brittany an exceptional opportunity to play a driving role in the creation of a new industry.”
Fortum has been actively involved in wave energy development since 2007. During this time, the company has been involved in funding the development of AW-Energy’s WaveRoller technology. Fortum and the Swedish Seabased AB are currently building a 10-megawatt wave power park on the west coast of Sweden, in Sotenäs. It is one of the world’s largest wave-power demonstration projects.