This market consultation process is published to engage with the market in relation to an anticipated future contract opportunity. While it is expected that the results of the market consultation process will inform the final scope of the opportunity, providing a better sense of the market structure, the capabilities of suppliers, and price developments, an anticipated outline is presented in the following lines to provide the baseline information.
The procurement will take the form of an Innovation Procurement under which R&D service contracts will be awarded to a number of R&D providers in parallel in a phased approach. Whether the program will use pre-commercial procurement (PCP) or Public Procurement of Innovation (PPI) is still open. The results of market consultation phase are expected to feed this decision, whereas other factors such as legal and IP management will also be considered by the decision-making bodies.
The phased approach will facilitate the benchmarking and comparison of competing alternative solutions. After each phase, intermediate evaluations will be carried out to progressively select the best of the competing solutions. The contractors with the best-value-for-money solutions will be offered a specific contract for the next phase.
Mutriku Wave Power Plant is the first commercial plant in Europe to use wave energy to generate electricity. The wave energy plant is hosted inside the breakwater that protects its harbor, in the Bay of Biscay, with Oscillating Water Column (OWC) being the technology used for the energy conversion. It has 16 turbines with a total capacity of 296 kW, harnessing air compressed by the action of the waves. The plant started operation in 2011 and has achieved the world-leading mark of 2,4GWh cumulative output in October 2021. During this over 10-year operational period, substantial advances have been made in the sector towards understanding of the technical challenges of the air turbines and control systems in the rigorous offshore environment.
With this background, the TurboWave Innovation Procurement program aims to accelerate the development of air turbine technologies matching the wave energy sector needs in general and the specific requirements of the Mutriku Plant in particular.
The main technical challenges to be addressed may be expressed in terms of
- Performance – obtain quantitative evidence (numerical and experimental) of appropriate power conversion capability.
- Controllability – demonstrate that the turbine has the necessary characteristics and elements that enable optimum energy capture and conversion across a broad range of operational states.
- Reliability– demonstrate appropriate levels of availability through reliable prototype operation.
- Maintainability – demonstrate planned or unplanned maintenance, including modification, adjustment, repair or replacement can be done with reasonable means and incurring in minimal system downtime.
- Affordability – demonstrate an attractive technology cost (capital and operational) to feed potential future procurement processes.
The TurboWave PPI program is expected to progress through three R&D phases:
- Phase 1: Concept development.
- Phase 2: Design Refinement and Lab Testing
- Phase 3: Detailed design, manufacture and testing in Mutriku Wave Power Plant
- Phase 4: Procurement of a minimum of 2 and a maximum of 8 turbines