The first ISWEC wave energy converter prototype is back home in the island of Pantelleria since the first test campaign in 2015. Thanks to the collaboration with the R&D Department of Eni Spa, our team started a revamp activity of the prototype in December 2021. During this period our team experienced difficulties in the supplies given the Ukraine war and the post-COVID situation in China. Despite that, the complete refurbishing of the prototype lasted less than 12 months.
The ISWEC prototype experienced an initial successful period of testing in the second half of 2015. Then our company brought the device back to harbour in Pantelleria for some technology improvements in early 2016. While docked, the ISWEC prototype experienced some issues in the harbor of Pantelleria. Thus our team decided to bring it back to Mazara del Vallo for some extraordinary maintenance activities.
New Sea Trials for the ISWEC Wave Energy Converter
After the refurbishment, we launched the ISWEC Pantelleria on December 5th 2022 at Mazara del Vallo shipyard. We completed these activities thanks to the fundamental collaboration of the Navemar Shipyard and of Navalsaldatori welding company. While in Mazara del Vallo, our team received thorough support from the Coast Guard of Mazara del Vallo (Capitaneria di Porto di Mazara del Vallo) and from the classification society RINA with its Palermo Office.
After preparatory operations, we scheduled the towing of the ISWEC Pantelleria wave energy converter to Pantelleria on December 20th 2022. On December 21st, with the support of our offshore contractors, we moored the system temporarily inside the harbor of Pantelleria. Now it wil await the completion of the installation site, just a few hundred meters offshore Pantelleria island. In the next days our offshore contractors will complete the laying of the mooring lines and the subsea cable system.
Offshore Operations for the Installation and Mooring of the ISWEC
At this stage Wave for Energy is being supported by a major provider of diving services (Drafinsub) and by other national and local companies, such as Sorrento Sub Service for the provision of offshore lifting services and Cantieri Navali Esposito for warehousing and docking services.