A study, to be carried out by Aquatera Ltd and the Taiwan-based Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), to assess the potential for wave energy development in Taiwan has started. The initial aim of the project is to identify a wave energy converter technology which is suitable for installation at a undisclosed test site in Taiwan.

Aquatera is currently in contact with numerous technology developers and is assessing the suitability of each respective technology in relation to the project requirements and environmental character of the test site. The second that third phases of the project will involve detailed surveying/permitting and then deployment of the selected device along with planning for a larger array of devices.

The plan is for the selected technology to be installed at the project test site during 2010-11. It is hoped that a successful test installation will act as a catalyst for a wider wave energy industry in Taiwan with a capacity in the region of 75MW by 2025.

Aquatera's Managing Director Dr Gareth Davies commented that "We were delighted to be selected as the technical and environmental advisor to the Taiwanese team for this pioneering project. Clearly our broad experience of planning for and supporting operations in the marine renewables sector played a big part in their decision. We will use all of our experience to help Taiwan achieve its ambitions with regards to marine renewables and wider sustainable energy objectives".

The Taiwanese partners are similarly enthusiastic about the project. Dr Yen explained "The ITRI were keen to learn from the ground breaking work that has been carried out in Orkney. The practical hands-on experience that can come from this part of the world is particularly important to us. The broad range of experiences that Aquatera can bring to this project matches our own skills and expertise very well and we have already seen positive results from our collaboration."