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PRIMRE/Databases/Projects Database/Projects/Costa Head Wave Farm
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Costa Head Wave Farm
Costa Head Wave Farm Limited (CHWFL) is a partnership between Alstom and SSE Renewables UK Limited (SSER). An Agreement for Lease (AfL) over an area of 24 km2 roughly 5 km to the north of Mainland Orkney has been granted to CHWFL, giving the company exclusive rights to the development of the seabed in this area. The proposed array will be installed in two distinct phases, with the first phase seeing the construction and installation of 4 wave energy converters (WECs) producing a combined capacity of 10 MW. Phase 2 will involve the installation of the remaining devices, upgrading the array to an anticipated installed capacity of 200MW. AWS-III wave energy converters will be used for this project. Initial trials of these devices is underway, however the technology is still under development and the first full scale prototype is due for deployment in 2014. The AWS-III is a self-reacting, multi-cell, floating ring shaped WEC. Wave action is converted into pneumatic power via reinforced flexible diaphragms, which in turn power a turbine-generator set that produces electricity. The lack of any exposed moving parts may contribute to extending the operational life and reliability of the AWS-III. The devices will be attached to the seabed via moorings and each device will be connected to the next with interarray cables. An export cable will transfer generated electricity from the array to shore. A number of export cable routes exist, however further environmental information is required before a final route is determined. Similarly the exact location for the landfall station is not yet known, and will be identified based on environmental, technical and economic criteria.
Additional Information
Project Status
Is the project actively being planned or is deployed in the water (active)? Or was the project canceled or completed (inactive)?
Inactive
Project Life Cycle
Project Progress through life cycle:
- Planned: Project has identified a deployment location and is preparing for deployment
- Operational: Project is deployed in the water and is active
- Completed: Project was previously deployed in the water
- Decommissioned: Installation has been fully removed in accordance with regulations
- Canceled: Project was canceled before being deployed in the water
Canceled
Max Rated Power Capacity
The maximum amount of electricity that can be produced by project, based on available resources and device nameplate capacity.
200 MW
Project Duration
2011 - 2016
Energy Resource
- Wave
Project Scale
Full-scale
Number of Devices
4
Grid Connectivity
Not Grid Connected
Waterbody
Costa Head, North of Mainland Orkney
Site Characteristics
Geographic characterization for the project location:
- Open Ocean: Main body of ocean, not enclosed or partially enclosed by land
- Coastal: Open water near the coast, spanning between land and shelf boundary
- Enclosed Bay: water that is partially surrounded by land, with a mouth open to larger water
- Constricted Channel: A channel where water flows quickly due to narrowing by the land
- River: Water flowing from land towards a larger body of water
Coastal
Country
United Kingdom
Environmental Details
Last Modified
10 June 2025
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Citation Formats
“Costa Head Wave Farm.” Marine Energy Projects Database: Projects, PRIMRE, United States Department of Energy, https://openei.org/wiki/PRIMRE/Databases/Projects_Database/Projects/Costa_Head_Wave_Farm. Accessed <day> <monthRoman> <year>.
Marine Energy Projects Database: Projects. <year>. "Costa Head Wave Farm." Accessed <monthRoman> <day>, <year>. https://openei.org/wiki/PRIMRE/Databases/Projects_Database/Projects/Costa_Head_Wave_Farm.
