Official Opening of EWP-EDF One Project in Israel Nears; Company Creating Strong U.S Presence Via Upcoming AltaSea Pilot at the Port of Los Angeles, While Reinforcing its Planned Projects in Europe
Eco Wave Power Global AB (publ) ("Eco Wave Power" or the "Company") (NASDAQ: WAVE), a leading, publicly traded onshore wave energy technology company that developed a patented, smart and cost-efficient technology for turning ocean and sea waves into green electricity, today (Dec 1) provided a corporate update and reported financial results as of and for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2022.
Management Commentary
"Eco Wave Power's onshore and nearshore technology is much simpler than legacy offshore wave energy generation technologies and is thus cost-effective, creating the potential to tap thousands of miles of shoreline and utilize hundreds of thousands of breakwaters, jetties, piers, and other marine structures to create clean, renewable, energy from the ocean. As a result, Eco Wave Power is expeditiously advancing with its core projects in Israel, the United States, and the European Union, while simultaneously operating towards the creation of legal frameworks and policies meant to accelerate the implementation and adoption of the wave energy sector," commented Inna Braverman, Founder and Chief Executive Officer.
"Our EWP-EDF One project in Jaffa Port Israel (in collaboration and co-investment from the Israeli Energy Ministry and EDF Renewables IL) nears completion, and on November 28th, the project was visited by the Director of Engineering Supervision of Low and High Voltage from the Israeli Electric Authority to instruct the Company regarding the final electrical inspection necessary for Eco Wave Power to receive the approval of sending electricity from the waves to the Israeli national electric grid for the first time in the history of Israel," commented Ms. Braverman.
Simultaneously, the energy conversion unit of Eco Wave Power's pioneering technology and the first floater have arrived, fully assembled, to the Port of Los Angeles, and are currently being set up as a static display by Eco Wave Power's engineering team, which arrived in Los Angeles to accelerate the process. After a pre-defined time in which the conversion unit will serve for educational purposes to all relevant entities in AltaSea in the Port of Los Angeles, the Company will produce seven additional floaters in California, to be installed on a dedicated real-conditions site within the Port, serving as the first Eco Wave Power implementation in the United States, and creating wave energy related workplaces in the region.
In Europe, Eco Wave Power is also showing significant progress. In Portugal, after obtaining the licenses for the operation and grid connection of the first 1MW in the city of Porto from Direção-Geral de Energia e Geologia (DGEG), the Company has retained the services of Efiki Partners, to produce a social-economic report for its' first 1MW, which will enable the Company to receive the final required license for the project, the Título de Utilização de Recursos Hídricos (TURH) license, which is expected to be granted by Administração dos Portos do Douro, Leixões e Viana do Castelo, SA (APDL) (the site owner) once report is completed, to the satisfaction of all parties.
In Port Adriano in Spain, as per the terms of the Concession Agreement which was entered between the Company and Port Adriano in April 2022, the Company has commenced an in-depth feasibility study in the Port. Once the study is fully completed with favorable results, the parties will enter discussions regarding the licensing requirements and financial terms of the planned 2MW project. In the interim, the Port has been awarded the prestigious Innovation Award by the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands. The prize recognizes the best idea linked to technological progress that has been projected or implemented in any port of the Balearic Islands during this year.
The originality, feasibility, and the technological contribution to solving problems or inefficiencies in ports and marinas in terms of environment and safety have been the elements that were valued by the jury of the Innovation Award, which decided to award Port Adriano for its planned implementation of the Eco Wave Power's pioneering technology.
At the same time, the Company has also signed a feasibility study agreement for a potential 1MW project in Morocco, to be finalized in the next few months. The project is expected to move forward upon favorable results from the feasibility study for the selected site.
Ms. Braverman added that, "It is interesting that once Gibraltar adopted legislation and enabled implementation of our wave energy technology, it served as an immediate catalyst for neighboring jurisdictions to do the same. Portugal, Spain and Morocco are all countries that neighbor Gibraltar and have all entered different agreements with Eco Wave Power for the promotion of our pioneering technology in their respective countries. I have always commented that one of the most significant barriers for the commercialization of wave energy is lack of wave energy related regulations and legislation, and the case of Gibraltar makes me extremely optimistic, as I am seeing that a good project is 'contagious', and once we execute a project in one country, other countries will follow, thereby slowly removing this barrier."
The Company is also progressing with different R&D grants that have been secured in the past and continues to receive new grants. This includes the grant from Innovate UK in collaboration with the University of Queen Marry in London, The Green Deal grant secured by the ILIAD consortium, Eco Wave Power's participation in a grant for the production of an in-depth feasibility study for a 1MW wave energy power plant in Halki island in Greece, a grant for Eco Wave Power's participation for the planning of a project in Heraklion Port in Greece, and a new grant by ERDF (European Union Regional Development Fund) called "Ports Towards Energy Self Sufficiency" (PORTOS) that was approved for a research project in Porto, led by the University of Porto, on November 24, 2022.
"The above shows that world governments continue to embrace clean energy as key to our economic vitality," said Ms. Braverman. "Our progress in Europe and the U.S., combined with new policies that are being adopted, and new grants obtained for wave energy research and implementation reinforces the rising commitment for the commercialization of wave energy. We believe that as our technology becomes more widely adopted, it will lead to wave energy commercialization, and the acceptance of wave energy, as a significant part of the world's renewable energy mix."
"I have been highlighting the importance of the wave energy sector at high profile events around the world, including the WIRED Impact Conference in London, and each engagement creates more believers. The hard work of 2022 is expected to translate to growth in 2023," concluded Ms. Braverman.
