en.Wedoany.com Reported - French wave energy technology developer Seaturns has launched sea trials of its full-scale wave energy demonstration device at the Gironde estuary on France's Atlantic coast, supervised in collaboration with Irish energy company ESB. According to Seaturns, the project is expected to boost wave energy capacity in Europe.
Seaturns has disclosed the deployment of its full-scale demonstration device on France's Atlantic coast. Reportedly a first in France, this marks the start of a sea trial campaign lasting at least 12 months. The project is seen as a key risk-reduction milestone for the company toward commercial deployment and technology certification by 2027. According to the European wave energy company, the trial phase is monitored by Ireland's ESB under an industrial innovation cooperation agreement, providing the French company with an industry perspective from a European energy utility.
Vincent Tournerie, founder and chairman of Seaturns, stated that the installation of the first full-scale demonstration device is the result of over a decade of research and development by the team. The team followed a rigorous, step-by-step technology validation plan, testing at scales of 1/30, 1/10, and 1/4 in collaboration with European universities and Ifremer, before reaching the full-scale stage. Each phase validated technical performance and reliability under increasingly representative operating conditions. In a relatively short time, through good resource management, the team successfully deployed the first full-scale demonstration device at sea. This milestone validates the technical approach—based on simplicity, robustness, and industrial competitiveness—and marks a critical step toward commercialization.
The deployment of Seaturns' full-scale wave energy demonstration device, S1, is seen as a milestone in the European wave energy sector. The trials are conducted 27.5 kilometers off the port of Le Verdon-sur-Mer in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, within the jurisdiction of the Grand Port Maritime de Bordeaux (GPMB). According to Seaturns, the site was selected for the quality and representativeness of its wave conditions relative to real offshore operating environments, while providing logistical access for offshore operations. The demonstration device operates off-grid, with generated energy dissipated. Comprehensive turbine output data and buoy behavior monitoring data will be collected throughout the process, forming the evidence base for technology certification. An environmental impact monitoring plan operates throughout the trial period. Seaturns claims to benefit from institutional and technical support from the Grand Port Maritime de Bordeaux at this stage.
The primary objectives of the trial campaign are to validate the dynamic behavior of the buoy under real sea conditions, develop and refine offshore operation and maintenance procedures, confirm the reliability and performance of the power take-off (PTO) system, and collect data required for technology certification and industrialization. Results from the sea trials are expected to support technology certification by mid-2027, with data directly guiding the industrialization roadmap and the commercial development of Seaturns' first 2 MW pilot project in Mauritius, described as a world first in the wave energy sector and expected to evolve into a 10 MW commercial project.
Arthur Chauliac, trial manager at Seaturns, emphasized that the deployment of the full-scale wave energy demonstration device is a key milestone for the company and a first in France. The buoy is equipped with comprehensive instrumentation and undergoes integrated operational monitoring covering key performance indicators for marine energy technologies. The installation was carried out in two phases—laying mooring lines, then connecting the buoy—and is now fully operational. The team uses onboard data to monitor performance in real time, correlated with wave conditions measured by wave buoys. Over an 18-month cycle, these trials will demonstrate the technology's performance, reliability, and feasibility, while advancing certification and commercialization.
ESB will monitor key phases of Seaturns' full-scale demonstration device deployment and sea trials, gaining access to technical data and real-time performance results under real operating conditions. The French company views this partnership as a significant commercial signal, reflecting growing institutional interest in wave energy as a financeable, scalable renewable technology, and strengthening the potential investment case ahead of the company's planned funding round in early 2027.
Cahir O'Neill, emerging technology specialist at ESB, stated that ESB is actively monitoring wave energy demonstration progress across multiple technologies in several European countries. Leading projects, including Seaturns, are addressing some of the fundamental challenges to making wave energy a mainstream energy source, including storm survivability and structural efficiency. These challenges are critical to unlocking the vast energy potential of Ireland and Europe's Atlantic coast.
Seaturns detailed that Ireland has one of the largest exploitable wave energy resources in Europe, with potential up to 19 GW according to the Evolve project. Significant wave energy scenarios in the SEAI Offshore Renewable Energy Technology Roadmap (2024) project deployment of 4 GW (14 TWh per year) by 2050. Both companies see this collaboration as an opportunity to accelerate the development and adoption of wave energy as a competitive, viable renewable energy source, and to lay the groundwork for future commercial deployment, particularly in the Irish market. ESB has systematically monitored the wave energy technology landscape for years as part of its strategy to achieve net-zero emissions by 2040. Seaturns plans a funding round in early 2027 to support its progression from TRL 6 to TRL 8, support equipment industrialization, and drive project development toward commercialization.
The French wave energy technology developer emphasized that Europe leads global wave energy technology development, with estimated resources exceeding 400 TWh per year. With a validated full-scale demonstration device now operational at sea, Seaturns is poised to become one of the first wave energy companies globally to achieve technology certification and enter commercial deployment, representing a significant value inflection point for the company.
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