WESE Project Completes BiMEP and Mutriku Sites Monitoring

Wave Energy in Southern Europe (WESE) Project, devoted to the collection, processing, analysis and sharing of environmental data around wave energy devices, has recently carried out different monitoring activities around the MARMOK-A-5 device of IDOM-Oceantec and Mutriku Wave Power Plant in the Basque Country.

The collection, processing, analysis and sharing of environmental data in sites where devices are operating in Spanish and Portuguese coastal waters, represent different types of technology locations and, therefore, different types of marine environments (onshore, nearshore and offshore) that can potentially be affected by wave energy projects: IDOM-Oceantec MARMOK-A-5 installed in Biscay Marine Energy Platform BIMEP, WaveRoller (AW Energy) installed in Peniche (Portugal) and Mutriku Wave Power Plant in operation in Spain.

Monitoring plans have been developed with the objective of obtaining data for:

  • Underwater sound emissions coming from MARMOK-A-5 device of IDOM-Oceantec and Mutriku Wave Power Plant;
  •  Electromagnetic Field (EMF) generation of submarine cables that provides service to the MARMOK-A-5 device;
  • Seabed integrity alteration associated with the MARMOK-A-5 moorings and mooring lines.

Similar campaigns are expected to be undertaken in the Peniche test site in Portugal as soon as the WaveRoller (AW Energy) device is installed during summer 2019.

The results and analysis coming from these campaigns are subject of different reports that will be finalized by 2020.

These data will support the development of models for the analysis of potential cumulative pressures and environmental impacts of future larger scale wave energy deployments.