First UMACK Anchor for CorPower WEC Installed off Portugal

CorPower Ocean, Maersk Supply Service and Dieseko have installed the first commercial-scale UMACK anchor to support the HiWave-5 demonstration project. The anchor has been installed 4km off the coast of Aguçadoura, in northern Portugal, where it will be used to anchor the CorPower C4 Wave Energy Converter, as part of the HiWave-5 project.

The UMACK technology is designed to provide a step-change improvement to the vertical holding capacity of pile-type anchors, touting reductions to cost and carbon footprints compared to both monopiles and gravity foundations.

“We installed the pile using a 500MU vibro-hammer supplied by Dieseko, supported by a heave-compensated crane on the Maersk Achiever vessel," said CorPower Ocean Senior Engineer Ian Denton. "The installation method works by vibrating the anchor into the sea bed, offering a high speed, low-noise solution which minimizes impact on the marine environment.”

The UMACK anchor installed is 24m long, 1.6m diameter and weighs 43 tons, with an ultimate tensile capacity in excess of 15MN.

The Aguçadoura site will initially accommodate a single CorPower C4 WEC device, which later form part of a larger four-system array, and one of the world’s first grid-connected wave farms. The HiWave-5 Project ultimately aims to introduce certified and warrantied WEC products to the market. The Hiwave-5 project is funded by the Swedish Energy Agency and Portugal 2020 through AICEP Global and CCDR-N.  

The UMACK anchor installed is 24m long, 1.6m diameter and weighs 43 tons. Image courtesy CorPower