BiMEP - Mutriku: Acceptance of the community

The wave energy plant at Mutriku can host trials of new concepts of air turbine, control strategy, and auxiliary equipment for OWC devices (Oscillating Water Column), the most updated technology currently available for harnessing sea waves.

Built into the breakwater at the harbor in Mutriku, the plant has a total capacity of 296kW and has been supplying electricity to the grid since 2011.

Biscay Marine Energy Platform is an infrastructure for testing prototypes of ocean energy collectors and auxiliary equipment on the open sea, located off-coast at Armintza. BiMEP provides technology developers with a site with suitable wave and wind resources for testing the technical and economic viability of different concept designs, offering security before advancing to the full-scale commercial phase.

The plant at Mutriku consists of 16 chambers, each one with its corresponding turbine-alternator group, integrated into the seawall at Mutriku.

The air passing through the turbine causes it to move, which turns the alternator, generating electric energy. When the wave recedes, the air is suctioned in and passes through the turbine, moving the alternator and producing electricity.

The total power installed is 296 kW, and electric production is around 400 000 kWh/year, the equivalent of the annual electric consumption of 100 families.