So far, the systems have been more of an experiment than a contribution to a stable energy supply.
(Photo: Eco Wave Power)
Istanbul The Black Sea is to supply Turkey with energy in the future. In the port of the northern Turkish port city of Ordu, what they claim to be the largest wave power plant in the world will be built in the coming years. The local electricity supplier Ordu Enerji and the Swedish-Israeli company Eco Wave Power have signed a corresponding contract. Together, the two partners want to invest 150 million US dollars.
Wave power plants use the pressure of the sea, for example along a harbor wall, to drive turbines that generate electricity. The Turkish power plant is to be built in several stages along the quay wall of the port in Ordu. It starts with a four-megawatt system, which will eventually be increased to a maximum rated output of 77 megawatts.
Under maximum conditions, the system thus generates about as much electricity as five offshore wind turbines. According to the local electricity supplier, that would be enough to supply around 200,000 people with electricity. When the project is completed, Eco Wave Power will operate and maintain the wave power plant for 25 years.
Costs for wave power plants are comparable to those of wind turbines
Eco Wave Power was founded in Tel Aviv in 2011, but still describes itself as a Swedish company. The company promises that the company’s wave power plants will not pollute the environment as much. The power plants are to be attached to existing structures such as ports. At 42 euros per megawatt hour, the cost of generating electricity is comparable to that of wind turbines.
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With the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Turkey has become more aware of the need to become more independent of world markets when it comes to energy. That is why the country wants to become more attractive for investments in green energies. Turkey also joined the Paris Climate Agreement last October. The wave power plant in the north of the country should show that people are willing to think big.
However, it is questionable whether technology will play a greater role in Turkey in the future. There are also wave power plants in other coastal countries such as Scotland and Israel. Such forms of energy generation are currently more of an experiment than a stable contribution to a country’s energy supply. But Turkey has thousands of kilometers of coastline. If the project works, it could find imitators in other communities.
The country’s energy requirements have risen massively in recent years. Because not only the population, but also the economy is growing. For a long time, Turkey satisfied its hunger for energy with conventional energy sources such as gas, oil and coal. Up until 2017, around half of the electricity was generated using imported natural gas or liquid gas. A Russian consortium is currently building a nuclear power plant on the eastern Mediterranean coast.
>> Also read: German company starts one of the largest hydrogen projects in the world
For several years, however, the state has also been investing in the expansion of renewable energies. In 2011, the governments in Berlin and Ankara announced a German-Turkish energy partnership, and since then an energy forum between the two countries has met regularly. Last year alone, Turkish companies installed wind farms with a capacity of 1.75 gigawatts in the country.
In October of this year, both countries decided on a far-reaching partnership to export green hydrogen from Turkey to Germany. In December, the world’s fifth largest dam was opened in Southeastern Anatolia.
More: Why Germany relies on Turkey for green hydrogen
