E.ON on the crest of the wave

E.ON to test Pelamis wave power device as first step towards commercialisation

E.ON, one of the UK’s leading renewable generators, has announced today (9th February 2009) that it will shortly be generating electricity from the waves. As part of its staged approach towards developing the potential of marine energy, E.ON will buy, install and test a wave power device in UK waters. The initial test programme will be with a single 750kW Pelamis device that is currently being built in Edinburgh, and which will be installed and tested at the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) in Orkney. E.ON will become the first utility to test a marine energy device at EMEC, which is the only grid connected marine test facility in Europe.

The Pelamis device is expected to be fully operational in 2010. The first year will be an extended commissioning period, with the next two years designed to test and improve the device’s working capabilities. Amaan Lafayette, Marine Development Manager at E.ON, said: “This is an incredibly exciting project that we hope will contribute towards the commercialisation of this technology, both in the UK and in the rest of the world. We recognise that much work has to follow before we can be certain that marine energy will fulfil its potential but the success of this device will give us the confidence to move to the next phase of commercialisation which is larger arrays around the UK coastline. It’s only by actually getting devices in the water that we can test the potential for wave power in the UK, which is why this is such an important step.”

This is the first time the Pelamis P2 device will have been tested anywhere in the world. The new device will be 180m long, around 50m longer than the existing Pelamis P1. It is designed to be considerably more efficient than the first generation device. The scheme forms part of E.ON’s renewable development portfolio in the UK that, if built, would be able to provide power for around a million homes and to displace two million tonnes of carbon dioxide every year.

For more information contact: Jonathan Smith on 024 7618 3676 or jonathan.smith@eon-uk.com