Australia's Carnegie Completes Foundation Structure for CETO Wave Energy Device

en.Wedoany.com Reported - Australian wave energy technology developer Carnegie Clean Energy has announced that the foundation structure for its scaled-down CETO wave energy device has completed final preparations and will begin deployment at the Biscay Marine Energy Platform (BiMEP) ocean energy test site in the Basque Country, Spain. According to the plan, the CETO buoyancy actuator will be launched first in October, as the first step in the phased deployment, commissioning, and offshore testing of the ACHIEVE project.

CETO uses fully submerged point absorber wave energy technology, with its core floating body positioned several meters below the sea surface, using wave-induced orbital motion to drive a power take-off system that converts mechanical energy into electrical energy. Compared with wave energy devices that float on the sea surface, the CETO main body remains underwater for extended periods. This project will focus on verifying its power generation performance, structural loads, control system, and long-term operational reliability under real sea conditions.

Currently, the CETO power take-off system module is being assembled. The main equipment required for power generation will be integrated into the PTO module and, after completing onshore testing, will enter the second phase of offshore installation. Meanwhile, the buoyancy actuator main body has been nearly completed in the Basque Country, Spain, and will subsequently be transported to port for lifting and offshore deployment preparation. After the first phase is completed, the PTO module will be commissioned nearby and then integrated offshore with the already-launched floating body system.

Carnegie previously signed a two-year CETO installation and testing contract with BiMEP, valued at approximately EUR 600,000. BiMEP will provide an offshore berth, submarine cables, subsea electrical connectors and fiber optics, as well as onshore substation, power lines, and other infrastructure, enabling the CETO device to complete grid-connected power generation testing at sea. After full installation, the device will operate at BiMEP for approximately two years, continuously collecting power generation, structural, and operational data to provide validation basis for subsequent technology scale-up and commercialization.

The ACHIEVE project has received support from multiple European and Spanish public funding programs, including approximately EUR 2.1 million from the Basque Energy Agency's ACHIEVE+ program. Carnegie previously also secured a contract of approximately EUR 3.75 million from the Spanish government for the local deployment and operation of CETO technology. With the completion of the foundation structure, the project has gradually moved from the equipment manufacturing and onshore testing phase into the actual offshore deployment phase.