The ONDEP project will commence in October 2024 and last for five and a half years, encompassing the full spectrum of project activities—from design and manufacturing to testing, deployment, and operation. Set in the surfing hub of Peniche, Portugal, the pilot wave farm will be installed and connected to the grid and will continue generating electricity for an additional eight years after the project’s official end.
“This project builds on two decades of hard work developing WaveRoller into a commercial asset. We’re excited to work on this collaboration together with the other partners to create a new industry in Europe,” says Christoper Ridgewell, CEO of AW-Energy, the lead technology provider for ONDEP.
ONDEP’s mission over the next five and a half years is to address the technical challenges of future large-scale wave farms, ensuring the technology’s reliability and scalability. The project will also establish a comprehensive, end-to-end European supply chain to support the deployment of GW-scale wave energy across Europe and beyond, marking a significant step towards the industrialization of wave energy.
“Wave energy is the largest untapped renewable energy resource in the world. The ONDEP project is poised to be among the first pilot wave farms globally, advancing this new industry to an industrial level. It will pave the way towards a zero-carbon future,” commented Rémi Gruet, CEO of Ocean Energy Europe.
By 2030, ONDEP plans to unlock the potential for 11 wave energy farms across 8 countries on 4 continents, with a total cumulative capacity of 83 MW. Looking further ahead to 2035, the project aims to demonstrate a Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) of less than €100/MWh, paving the way for a sustainable blue economy. This could also lead to the creation of up to 500,000 jobs across Europe, reinforcing Europe’s leadership in renewable energy.
Coordinated by Queen’s University Belfast, the project includes 14 partners from across Europe, including leading companies and research institutions. These partners, coming from Belgium, Finland, France, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, and the UK, bring together expertise covering the entire wave energy value chain.
“Queen’s University Belfast is a center of excellence for renewable energy, coastal engineering and wave energy technology. As well as coordination we’re looking forward to valuable research that we’re confident will benefit the entire industry,” says Dr. Pal Schmitt, Lecturer, School of Natural and Built Environment.
This collaboration is vital to ensuring the successful development, deployment, and commercialization of wave energy technology on a global scale, paving the way for a sustainable energy future.
