Eco Wave inks MoU to develop wave energy station at Brazil's Pecem port

June 1 (Renewables Now) Swedish-Israeli marine energy developer Eco Wave Power (EWP) said Tuesday that it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Brazil’s Pecem Complex, outlining the partners’ plan to install an up to 9-MW wave energy array at the port of Pecem.

The port of Pecem is part of the Pecem industrial and port complex in northeastern Brazil and is run by a joint venture between the government of the state of Ceara and the Port of Rotterdam.

The partnership is interested in the construction and operation of Eco Wave Power’s wave energy converters (WECs), which are to be installed on the breakwater of the Pecem port, the developer said.

The terms of the MoU specify that the WECs would be re-designed to be used in tropical waters to maximise the net capacity factor. The parties are to also collect real-life data and experience regarding onshore WECs investment, construction and operation, as well as gather information on permitting in compliance with relevant laws and standards for wave energy projects such as this one.

These actions will serve as the preparatory phase, during which the EWP and the Pecem Complex teams will work to complete a pre-feasibility analysis of the project at the complex area and finalise the preliminary development of the project proposal, EWP said.

The MoU and its derivatives will also serve as a preparation for the concession agreement to be signed between the parties, through positive results of the pre-feasibility analysis, the press release states.

“Port of Pecem hosted from 2010 to 2015 the first full-scale wave energy converter prototype in Latin America. It was a research and development project that gave us the know-how to proceed to this next stage, which consists of use of wave energy on a commercial scale in Pecem”, said Danilo Serpa, the Pecem Complex CEO. “Eco Wave Power has a simple and viable technology that can use the port's existing marine structures to produce clean electricity from the waves”.

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