CorPower Ocean geophysical survey offshore Aguçadoura Portugal for VianaWave 10MW wave energy project using sonar, seismic, and subsea cable mapping technologies.
CorPower Ocean has successfully completed a geophysical survey off the coast of Aguçadoura, northern Portugal, propelling forward the demonstration of next-generation C5 wave energy technology while also laying vital groundwork for the ambitious 10 MW pre-commercial VianaWave project.
The Portuguese Directorate-General for Natural Resources, Safety and Maritime Services (DGRM) granted CorPower Ocean a Research TUPEM (Title for Private Use of Maritime Space) permit encompassing the entire PAER (Pilot Zone for Renewable Energy) area for project prospecting surveys.
This authorization enabled both the essential geophysical survey, and once deemed suitable, enables the invasive geotechnical follow-up survey within the same maritime space.
Survey work covered approximately 340 hectares, including the HiWave-5 Project site, the planned subsea cable route and the broader PAER zone;the intended location for the 10MW VianaWave project. Fieldwork was carried out by Spanish marine survey specialists TechnoAmbiente, with interpretation conducted by UK-based Ternan Energy, focusing on precise engineering mapping of both the seafloor and the sub-seafloor. The research vessel was supplied by INESCTEC, Portugal’s Institute for Systems and Computer Engineering, Technology and Science.
Key survey goals included locating suitable sediment layers and identifying impediments such as boulders, vital for the safe and effective deployment of CorPower Ocean’s patented UMACK vibro-installed anchor, which requires a sand/sediment layer extending about 25-30 meters below the seabed.
To achieve these objectives, the survey utilized a suite of advanced technologies, including multi-beam sonar with backscatter, side-scan sonar combined with magnetometry and high-resolution seismic reflection paired with sub-bottom profiling. Together these methods provided high-clarity insights into seabed morphology, sediment composition, and sub-seafloor stratigraphy, all critical data for assessing anchor installation feasibility and ensuring safe cable routing.
Survey results will guide detailed engineering design while mitigating technical and environmental risks, bolstering the advancement of wave energy in Portugal.
Matt Dickson, Head of Projects at CorPower Ocean, said: “Completing this geophysical survey is a major achievement for our team and an essential step toward de-risking the project site to unlock large-scale wave energy in Portugal. The data collected will not only validate the conditions required for our UMACK anchors and subsea infrastructure but also provide the foundation for both the HiWave-5 demonstrator and the upcoming VianaWave array. It’s a pivotal milestone as we continue scaling this technology towards commercial readiness.”
Marine Operations Coordinator at CorPower Ocean Nikla Schmidt, who was closely involved in the survey work, added: “We are proud to be working closely with Portuguese authorities, industry partners, and the local community to bring forward new clean energy solutions. Wave energy represents a huge opportunity for Portugal, and projects like HiWave-5 and VianaWave can play a key role in building a more sustainable and resilient energy system.”
VianaWave represents a major step toward achieving Portugal’s National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP) goal of 200MW of installed wave energy capacity by 2030. VianaWave will feature a CorPack consisting of 30 Wave Energy Converters (WECs), generating approximately 30GWh of clean, renewable electricity each year – enough to power 7,500 Portuguese homes, while significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Set to commence operations in 2028/2029, VianaWave builds on CorPower’s successful HiWave-5 demonstrator program, marking a shift from pilot-scale demonstrations to commercial rollout.
Developed by a European consortium of experts led by CorPower Ocean, the UMACK anchor technology provides a step-change improvement to the tensile holding capacity of pile-type anchors with demonstrated 3-5x holding capacity vs traditional pile-type anchors. At only 35t mass and able to provide >20MN of holding capacity, UMACK offers significant reductions to both cost and carbon footprints compared to monopiles and gravity foundations and can support offshore installations such as marine energy devices, floating offshore wind (FOW) and aquaculture.