SYDNEY, Australia, May 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Oceanlinx selected as the fourth developer for the 28 million pounds Sterling Wave Hub project off the coast of Cornwall in South West England.
Oceanlinx Limited, a leading international developer of wave technology has been chosen to deploy its unique wave energy converter at the UK's Wave Hub, to be built off the coast of Cornwall.
Oceanlinx's unit combines the established science of the Oscillating Water Column (OWC) with its own patented turbine technology. A full-scale operational unit has been constructed and successfully tested at Port Kembla in New South Wales, Australia.
The Company, which was founded ten years ago, is also pursuing wave energy projects in North America, Mexico, South Africa and Hawaii. Wave Hub will be Oceanlinx's first installation in Europe.
The South West Regional Development Agency (SWRDA) is planning to create the world's first large scale wave energy farm by constructing an electrical 'socket' on the seabed 10 miles off Hayle on the Cornwall coast in south west England.
Oceanlinx joins three other wave device developers that have also been chosen to use Wave Hub. Each will be granted a lease of sea area of two square kilometres. A sub-sea transformer will be provided with capacity to deliver a total of 20 MW into the local distribution network.
Last month the South West RDA announced that it had approved 21.5 million pounds of funding to construct the Wave Hub, subject to UK Government and EU approval. The Department of Trade and Industry has also committed 4.5 million pounds to the project.
According to the South West RDA, Wave Hub could generate 76 million pounds over 25 years for the regional economy. It would create at least 170 jobs and possibly hundreds more by creating a new wave power industry in South West England.
The South West RDA estimates that Wave Hub could generate enough electricity for 7,500 homes, saving 24,300 tonnes of carbon dioxide every year when displacing fossil fuels. This would support South West England's target for generating 15% of the region's power from renewable sources by 2010.
Oceanlinx Chief Executive Tom Engelsman said: "South West England has one of the best wave climates in Europe. We are delighted that the South West RDA has given us an opportunity to showcase the efficiency and reliability of our power generation technology in this commercial scale project here in the UK. It is a very significant development for Oceanlinx."
Wave Hub Project manager Nick Harrington from the South West RDA said: "Oceanlinx has a proven technology that is sufficiently advanced to take advantage of the unique facilities that Wave Hub will provide, and the company's involvement reinforces Wave Hub's status as a project of international significance. We are delighted to have them on board."
About Oceanlinx
Oceanlinx is an Australia-based renewable energy company with a unique, commercially efficient system for extracting energy from ocean waves and converting it into electricity, or utilising that energy to produce potable water from seawater.
Last month, Oceanlinx applied to the United States Federal Energy Regulatory Commission ("FERC") for a preliminary permit to establish a wave energy facility offshore of Florence in the state of Oregon on the West coast of the United States. Upon obtaining the appropriate licences, the Florence Wave Park project will be located between one and five kilometres from the Oregon shoreline.
Oceanlinx Limited
