Construction of PacWave South started  on June 1, 2021. Visit our Construction Updates page for more information.

PACWAVE SOUTH is in the final stages of construction. When completed, it will be a state-of-the-art, pre-permitted, accredited, grid-connected, wave energy test facility. It is being developed in partnership with the US Department of Energy, the State of Oregon, Oregon State University (OSU) and local stakeholders.

The open ocean test site consists of four berths, which occupy two square nautical miles of ocean with a cable route to shore of approximately 12 miles in length. The location for PacWave South was selected through a public outreach process, including significant input from local fishermen. The project continues to have wide community support.

As PacWave South is pre-permitted for the majority of wave energy device types, clients will not have to undertake a costly and time-consuming permitting process prior to testing at the site. This will allow for more rapid optimization of designs.

PacWave South site offers multiple advantages:

  • All necessary infrastructure will be in place, including power and data cables and a shoreside grid connection facility (the Utility Connection and Monitoring Facility, or UCMF).
  • The site is permitted for the testing of up to 20 wave energy converters in four berths, allowing different technologies to be tested at the same time, with a maximum power output of up to 20MW.
  • Each berth will have a dedicated, 5MW-capable power and data cable connection to the UCMF.
  • All required environmental monitoring is being conducted by OSU.

In March 2021, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued Oregon State University a license to build and operate the PacWave South test facility. This was the culmination of an unprecedented regulatory process that spanned nearly 10 years. Construction of PacWave South should be completed by early 2025. Grid-connected testing is now expected to start in the spring/summer of 2026.

Summary information about PacWave South is available here.