Santoña, Spain

In July 2006, OPT formed a joint venture with Iberdrola S.A., global oil major TOTAL, the Spanish Government IDAE (Institute of Energy Savings and Efficiency), and the local regional development agency SODERCAN, for the turnkey construction of a wave farm off the north coast of Spain. A separate agreement awarded to OPT also represents the world’s first wave power Operation and Maintenance contract.

The project will be completed over three phases. The first phase of the project includes the deployment of the PB40 enhanced PowerBuoy. The next phase of the project includes the Underwater Substation Pod (USP) to collect, network and transform power, followed by the final phase: a 6 km subsea cable to deliver the grid-quality energy to the electricity network.

Project partners were key to achieving success in Spain. Strong partnerships were formed with Iberdrola and key supply chains were established. Local Spanish infrastructure and support were also critical to the project success, with fabrication of the buoy structure undertaken by local metal fabricators and local harbor facilities, boats and divers employed for deployment operations.