PacWave, administered by Oregon State University, has signed a power purchase agreement with the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), paving the way for wave-generated electricity to be supplied to the U.S. grid for the first time.
The agreement marks a major step for CalWave, which will deploy its xWave technology at the PacWave test site. The company said the project represents its move from research and development into commercial operations after previously exporting power only to a microgrid at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography during a 2021–22 open-ocean deployment.
The five-year agreement, running from 2026 to 2030, enables BPA to purchase up to 20 MW of energy per hour from OSU. PacWave’s offshore test site does not always operate at full capacity, but the arrangement provides a market-based commercial framework for up to 20 MW of power. Central Lincoln PUD will deliver grid connection services through the Utility Connection & Monitoring Facility between Seal Rock and Waldport…