Swedish wave energy developer CorPower Ocean has joined an elite panel of marine energy experts in Viana do Castelo, northern Portugal, to discuss the region’s ambitious plan to become an epicenter for offshore renewables, Says an article published in Energy News Line.
Investing €1 billion
Illustration/CorPower Ocean’s C3 device (Courtesy of CorPower Ocean/Photo by Colin Keldie)The Alto Minho region is positioning itself to receive a series of major marine energy investments, taking advantage of the ‘great production potential’ from the Atlantic coast.
The municipality is reported to have been approached by several companies pledging investments totaling circa €1 billion to create new marine renewable projects, driving job creation across shipbuilding, metalworking, and many other supply chains, according to CorPower Ocean.
Plans are also underway to complete the installation of an International Offshore Energy Testing Centre by 2026, funded by the Portuguese Recovery and Resilience Program (PRR) to help underpin the surge inactivity.
Acts as a Knowledge repository
The center will not only service companies but also act as a knowledge repository for universities, polytechnics, research laboratories. The recent international conference on Offshore Renewable Energy and Challenges of Decarbonisation was organized by Viana do Castelo Mayor José Maria da Cunha Costa. CorPower’s country manager for Portugal Miguel Silva joined representatives from Ocean Winds, an alliance between EDP Renováveis and Engie, Spain’s Acciona Energia, Germany’s Bajwa R.E., France’s Total, and Danish turbine producer Vestas.
CorPower’s Miguel Silva during Offshore Renewable Energy and Challenges of Decarbonisation event (Courtesy of CorPower Ocean)Aside from significant natural environmental benefits, other key attractions to the north Portuguese coast include a strong and firmly established skills base in metalworking and naval industries, including the construction and chartering of support vessels and maintenance of future offshore platforms.
Green hydrogen production
The region is particularly well-positioned for wind, wave, and solar power projects, and with the fast-changing energy paradigm increasing attention is being placed on renewable energy’s future role in green hydrogen production, CorPower Ocean said.
The location also has enormous potential for the scientific community, as a reference space at the European level, for studies linked to biodiversity and other research areas.
In summer 2020, CorPower Ocean invested a further €16 million to construct a Manufacturing, R&D, and Service Centre in the seaport, for the production of wave energy converters, following a deal with Administration Ports of Douro, Leixões and Viana do Castelo (APDL).
Creating a world-leading testing hub
CorPower’s Miguel Silva said: “We have been working closely with authorities in Viana do Castelo since establishing the region as our operational base for the flagship HiWave-5 Project. We feel particularly energized to be operating in Viana do Castelo given the considerable interest to build on its obvious potential and create a world-leading offshore energy testing hub.”
“Wave energy will play a vital role in the future green energy mix due to its complementary production profile to wind and solar. In this respect, there is significant interest in the development of a hybridized system with WindFloat Atlantic and creating the first 10MW combined wave and wind array off Viana do Castelo”.
