US targets 34% of electricity with first grid-linked wave energy site

The US has officially launched its first pre-permitted, grid-connected wave energy test site that could reportedly unlock an estimated 1,400 terawatt-hours (TWh) of wave power each year. Oregon State University's (OSU) PacWave South is located around seven miles (11 kilometers) off Newport on the Oregon coast. It opened on Thursday, August 27, after more than 15 years of planning, research and construction. The facility will allow developers to test wave energy devices in a highly energetic, open-ocean environment and send the electricity they generate back to shore. It has the potential to accelerate a largely untapped renewable resource. The US Department of Energy (DOE) stated that the country's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) holds an estimated 1,400 TWh of realistically capturable wave energy annually. This is equivalent to approximately 34 percent of current US electricity generation. It is also enough to power about 130 million homes. The US Department of Energy reported that the facility will spare developers from building major infrastructure and securing lengthy permits. It is already permitted and connected to the electricity grid. This could potentially reduce the time and cost needed to demonstrate new wave energy technologies. 'Our oceans offer a largely untapped resource of abundant, affordable power,' Nichole Fitzgerald, Hydropower and Hydrokinetic Office (H2O) Director, pointed out. The PacWave South wave energy test facility. Credit: PacWave / Oregon State University (OSU) The infrastructure has a total of four subsea cables running between the offshore testing area and land. Overall, PacWave's system contains approximately 50 miles (80 kilometers) of cable for transmitting energy and data. Power generated by experimental devices will travel through the subsea cables to the Utility Connection and Monitoring Facility near Seal Rock. There, the electricity can be regulated and fed into the local power grid. Bonneville Power Administration signed a power purchase deal with PacWave in 2025 to buy electricity generated by devices undergoing testing. Central Lincoln People's Utility District will distribute that power to nearby homes and businesses once testing begins. The site is backed by the DOE and run by OSU, which led the more than 15-year effort to establish the site. PacWave will not be limited to measuring how much electricity experimental machines can generate. The team will also study their environmental effects, including how wave energy technologies interact with marine ecosystems and wildlife. 'There is no other US facility where developers can test grid-connected marine energy devices at this scale while evaluating their performance and environmental effects in an open-ocean setting,' Oregon State University (OSU) officials noted. OSU said that about 150 people attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony marking the site's completion. 'PacWave represents the culmination of more than 15 years of vision, determination and collaboration,' Jayathi Murthy, OSU president, noted in a press release. Facility operators are currently working with marine energy developers ahead of the first device deployments. 'PacWave is built, PacWave is grid connected and PacWave is operational,' Dan Hellin, PacWave director, concluded. 'Now the really fun part begins, which is actually putting this facility to work.' Get the latest in engineering, tech, space & science - delivered daily to your inbox. Based in Skopje, North Macedonia. Her work has appeared in Daily Mail, Mirror, Daily Star, Yahoo, NationalWorld, Newsweek, Press Gazette and others. She covers stories on batteries, wind energy, sustainable shipping and new discoveries. When she's not chasing the next big science story, she's traveling, exploring new cultures, or enjoying good food with even better wine.