Welsh company wins Bombora major contract

Bombora Wave Power Europe Ltd (‘Bombora) is pleased to announce that we have awarded local Welsh workboat builders and marine engineers Mainstay Marine Solutions Ltd, the contract for the ‘fabrication and assembly of the main structure’ for our first full scale mWave.

Measuring 75m long, 17.5m wide and 5m high, the 1.5MW mWave harnesses the potential of marine energy in the form of pressure on the sea floor.

With the initial design phase now complete, Mainstay will commence fabrication of the all-steel structure imminently, with delivery of the fully-assembled device to Mainstay’s ro-ro slipway in the spring of next year, ready for load-out and launching.

The 1.5MW demonstration device will be one of the most powerful wave energy demonstration devices to be built around the world to date.

Sam Leighton, Managing Director, commented: “We are very pleased to be able to award our largest single contract to a company with solid roots in Pembrokeshire helping boost the local economy. The majority of our work to date has been awarded to local companies and there are many more opportunities for the local supply chain to benefit from this innovative project as we continue to roll out our contracting strategy. Mainstay has already successfully delivered our purpose-built test tank at Pembroke Dock. We look forward to them delivering a similar high-quality performance with this new contract”.

Stewart Graves, Mainstay’s Managing Director, commented “As major supporters of marine energy development and its potential for the future, we are delighted to have secured this contract. Mainstay has invested heavily to establish ourselves as the ‘go-to’ company for marine energy fabrication projects.

Building such an innovative device of this magnitude is a great endorsement of our marine engineering capabilities and prospects for the future. The sheer scale of mWave positions itself as an exemplar project within our increasing portfolio of marine renewable energy projects”.

Bombora established its European headquarters in Pembroke Dock at the end of 2017 and after a period of exciting growth, now employs 21 people with wide ranging disciplines from across the marine energy industry. The project has been supported by £10.3m from the European Regional Development Fund through the Welsh Government.

Unique in design, the mWave features a series of membranes which rests beneath the ocean’s surface on the sea floor. As waves pass over the device, air inside the membranes is pushed into a duct and through a turbine to generate electricity.

The mWave device will be installed at the Marine Energy Testing Area off the coast of Pembrokeshire for a 6-12 month test period commencing in the summer of 2020.

Mrs Charlotte Wood
Business Development and Marketing Manager
Mainstay Marine Solutions Ltd

T: +44 1646 681117
E: charlotte.Wood@mainstaymarine.co.uk

Chris Williams
Commercial Manager
Bombora Wave Power Europe Ltd

T: +44 1646 233140
E: chris@bomborawave.com 

About Bombora

Founded in Western Australia in 2012, Bombora is an award-winning ocean energy company committed to providing clean, renewable electricity technology. Bombora’s globally patented mWave can produce environmentally-friendly, consistent and cost-competitive commercial scale electricity in coastal regions across the world.

A comprehensive and independently reviewed 60 MW Wave Farm Feasibility Study completed in 2016 concluded the ‘levelised cost of electricity’ from Bombora wave farms could quickly become competitive with gas turbines and solar farms.

Bombora has assembled an experienced team in Wales with extensive backgrounds in the marine, energy and offshore operations industries who are now focused on designing, building and testing Bombora’s 1.5MW mWave.

About Mainstay Marine Solutions Ltd

Mainstay Marine Solutions carries on a legacy of marine engineering with a core management team who have been designing and building workboats for over 30 years in Pembroke Dock, on the Milford Haven Waterway in South West Wales. Mainstay’s extensive marine knowledge and specialist skill sets have enabled the company to diversify into the marine energy sector in more recent years.

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