Carnegie's first CETO 5 wave power unit operational

Carnegie Wave Energy, the operator of the Perth Wave Energy Project (PWEP), has successfully installed its first CETO 5 wave power unit. The milestone has been welcomed by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), which provided $13.1 million in funding for the project.

“CETO is a prime example of how, with the right government support, a technology can progress along the innovation chain towards commercialisation,” said ARENA CEO Ivor Frischknecht.

“It is also evidence that developing and commercialising new technologies takes considerable time, resources and financing.

“The CETO technology has been progressively scaled up over the past decade and has made strides towards becoming a competitive renewable energy solution.”

March saw the installation of the project’s sub-sea pipeline, while the CETO 5 units were unveiled in April. The first unit has now been operating for a little over a week, following successfully installation on its first attempt, and the second and third units will follow soon.

“This is the culmination of three years of design, financing, development and construction work by Carnegie and its stakeholders,” Frischknecht said. ARENA has been working with the company for the last two-and-a-half years.

Upon completion in 2016, the project will provide clean, renewable energy and potable desalinated water to Australia’s largest naval base, HMAS Stirling, on Garden Island in Western Australia. Frischknecht said the three units will “be connected to Western Australia’s power grid, the South West Interconnected System, following successful testing”.

“Carnegie is already collecting important data from the first CETO 5 unit that will inform the development of the CETO 6 Project, which is also supported by ARENA,” Frischknecht added.

“This data and the lessons learned throughout the project are being shared with the renewable energy industry to help reduce the hurdles facing other wave energy projects.”