Basque Gov Launches Bimep Research Platform

Basque Government has launched bimep, a marine platform for research, development and the operation of marine energy converters near the coastal town of Armintza, Spain.

The opening ceremony, presided over by Iñigo Urkullu, the Premier of the Basque Country, and Javier Zarraonandia, Vice-Minister of Economic Development and Competitiveness and President of bimep, marks the culmination of a long and complex 5-year permit and construction process.

Bimep covers an area of 5.2 square kilometres and is equipped with four grid-connected fibre optic subsea cables.

With a power generating capacity of 20 MW, bimep is a research infrastructure for demonstrating the technical and economic viability of marine energy converters prior to their large-scale commercialisation.

At its nearest point to land, the platform is 1,700 metres from the coast and has a water depth of 50 metres, progressively increasing to 90 metres. The area, delimited by 7 marker buoys restricting access to sea traffic, is also equipped with a buoy for 24/7 monitoring of weather and wave conditions and 4 subsea power cables of 5 MW and 13 kV each, transmitting power and connecting the different devices to the new onshore substation which feeds into the grid.

No new high voltage power lines have been constructed as the existing lines from a nuclear power plant which was never commissioned have been used. These lines will, therefore, be used to transmit renewable energy to the grid.

However, the main function of bimep is not to generate power but to be a focal point of high added value technological know-how through the testing, researching and development of new production technologies using marine energy, said Ente Vasco de la Energía (EVE), Basque energy agency.

EVE has a 92% share in the bimep management company, whilst the remaining 8% belongs to IDAE, the Energy Agency of the Spanish Ministry for Industry and Tourism. Total investment has been EUR 22 million.