CorPower Ocean will develop a 5MW wave energy project at the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) in Orkney, Scotland, announced by Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes at the All-Energy Conference in Glasgow. Set for deployment in 2029 at EMEC’s Billia Croo site, the UK’s largest wave energy array will include 14 wave energy converters (WECs) operating for up to 15 years.

Each WEC features a 9-meter spherical hull and uses WaveSpring technology to optimize power capture, with a storm protection system for safety. This follows CorPower’s 2018 C3 WEC test at EMEC’s Scapa Flow and a successful C4 demonstration in Portugal. The next step involves testing a small wave farm before the full 5MW project.

CorPower will manufacture components in Orkney, supporting local jobs and reducing costs. Kate Forbes said: “With its abundant natural resources and unrivalled experience in marine renewables, Scotland is in a prime position for the development and deployment of tidal stream and wave energy to further add to Scotland’s renewable energy mix.”

Anders Jansson, CorPower’s head of business development, stated: “We are thrilled to be back at EMEC to build the first commercial wave farm.” EMEC’s Matthew Finn added: “Developing what could become the UK’s largest wave energy array is a major step forward – not only for CorPower Ocean, but for the wave energy sector as a whole.”