It will be jointly built by a Swedish and a Turkish company
Eco Wave Power (EWP) has signed a deal with Oren Ordu Eneas to build the world’s largest-ever wave power plant on Turkiye’s Black Sea coast, according to a press release by the Swedish company published on Thursday.
EWP, which developed and patented, smart and cost-efficient technology for turning ocean and sea waves into green electricity, was founded in Tel Aviv, Israel, in 2011. Oren Ordu Eneas is an affiliate of a local Turkish municipality.
The project would start with a 4MW pilot in the port of Ordu. It would then move forward to a 77MW plant which would consist of a fixed, modular array of steel floats hinged to piston-equipped arms.
These arms would pump a working fluid via a subsea umbilical pipeline to an onshore generator creating sustainable energy.
The project would cost $150 million but no date has been announced for its completion.
“With the goal to build a self-sufficient grid [in the region, Ordu sees EWP as an important asset to fully realizing our potential for 100% clean energy,” said Mustafa Kemal Macit, CEO of Ordu Enerji.
“The entire municipality of Ordu is excited to fully realize the sea’s potential and use its unlimited source of energy to power our electrical grid. This project demonstrates that Ordu Enerji is committed to investing in innovative clean energy technologies.”
A renewed effort to bridge relations
Both companies in a statement said the deal “reflected a renewed effort to bridge Turkish and Israeli relations, epitomized by a recent call between Israeli Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan who agreed to establish ‘a new era of relations’ between the two countries, discussing ways to significantly strengthen economic and diplomatic ties”.
“This is an important partnership that we hope further strengthens Turkiye and Israel’s ties,” said Ayşe Mehlika Yıldız Ersen, Third Secretary of the Turkish Embassy in Tel Aviv.
According to the firm’s website, EWP’s “innovative technology has also been recognized as a “Pioneering Technology” by the Chief Scientist of the Energy Ministry of Israel and received an Efficient Solution label from the Solar Impulse Foundation.”
The company has also been awarded grants by the European Union Regional Development Fund, Horizon 2020, the Energy Ministry of Israel, Innovate UK, and the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 framework program.
A landmark agreement
“This landmark agreement will allow us to provide clean electricity from Turkish waves, for the very first time. With ambitious sustainability goals and regional proximity to our headquarters, Turkiye is an interesting location to further implement and develop our innovative wave energy technology,” EWP CEO Inna Braverman concluded.
Estimates of the size of the potential wave energy capacity around the world range widely. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the theoretical annual energy potential of waves off the coasts of the United States is estimated to be as much as 2.64 trillion kilowatt-hours or the equivalent of about 64 percent of total U.S. electricity generation in 2019.
Meanwhile, Ocean Energy Europe, the industry’s representative body in Europe, has said that 100GW of wave energy capacity could be installed in the region by 2050, meeting 10 percent of member states’ power demand. The projects would greatly add to the decarbonization of the world and produce viable clean energy where it is needed most.