As part of its commitment to renewable energies such as solar power and wind energy, Total has decided to participate in a third option for renewables-based power generation, through the acquisition of a 10% interest in a pilot project offshore Santona, northern Spain, to develop ocean swell and wave power.
The other partners are Iberdrola1 (60%), Sodercan2 (10%), IDAE3 (10%), and Ocean Power Technologies (OPT) (10%), which is supplying the technology, already implemented offshore the United States. Studies are in progress to design and size the installations, in particular generation capacity, which is expected to be around 1.5 MW.
This research and development project will help to define the technical and financial potential of wave power which works by capturing and converting the energy of waves into a controlled mechanical force that drives an electrical generator.
Total has also signed an agreement with Iberdrola and OPT to study implementation of wave power in France. Initially, the partners will identify potential sites offshore the French coast. If conditions are favourable, in particular among local populations, they could later develop one or more power generation units.
With this transaction, Total confirms its long-standing interest in renewable energies. The Group has been active in photovoltaic solar power for more than 20 years, operating through two companies, Photovoltech and Tenesol. Following the inauguration of its first wind farm near Dunkirk in 2003, France, Total is now actively looking at a number of large-scale onshore and offshore wind power projects in Europe, especially in France, Spain and the United Kingdom.
1 Spain’s Iberdrola is a leading European electrical utility and one of the world’s leading producers of renewables-based power.
2 Sociedad para el Desarrollo de Cantabria: Cantabria Regional Development Agency.
3 Instituto para la Diversificación y el Ahorro Energético: Spanish Institute for Energy Diversification and Conservation.
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