Seabased plans for whole system optimisation and testing in Norway made the news on Friday 17 June.
The article in TA, a regional newspaper for Telemark where Seabased´s offices are located, is based on an interview with CEO Laurent Albert and VP Industry Ove Almaas. The two outline plans for the final stages of optimisation and testing before certification, and the subsequent industrial roll-out and commercial launch.
The article explains that Seabased plans to build a full-scale test bench in the Vard shipyard facilities located right beside its office, as well as to perform hydrodynamic testing of buoys in the fjord just a few kilometers south. The optimisation and certification project, totalling almost EUR 6 million, is planned for completion by next summer.
Seabased chose Brevik, Norway for its offices and production facilities because of the competence in both technology and industry found in the region, especially in sub-sea operations, the article explains.
The funding round for Seabased's whole system optimisation and certification stage is nearing completion, explain Albert and Almaas. In addition to investor capital, the company has received local public support from Vekst i Grenland and Telemark Utviklingsfond, and is hoping for additional support from Innovation Norway.
While the production is planned in Norway, the wave power parks are for an export market. Seabased has a pipeline of wave park projects totalling almost EUR 500 million, pending certification.
Albert explains that the industrial ramp-up will create opportunities for direct jobs as well as for suppliers. Roughly translated from Norwegian: "We hope to participate in the creation of new commercial activity in this fjord region, both in relation to what we do in-house and through our relationships with partners and suppliers for the equipment we will produce."
Once the industrial ramp-up begins, Seabased estimates creating 200 new jobs internally, as well as significant opportunities for regional suppliers and partners.
