An innovative company that tested its wave-generated energy prototypes off Oilies surf break at Port Kembla will now concentrate on harnessing the power of the Southern Ocean as it sets up off the coast of South Australia.
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Oceanlinx chief executive Ali Baghaei yesterday said the reason for heading south was that waves off the Illawarra coast weren't consistent enough to ensure a reliable supply of energy going into the generator.
"There are not sufficient continuous waves on the east coast of Australia," he said. "If you don't feed it with the energy, it's not going to capture it.
"It's not the height of the wave or the size of the wave. What's more important is to have that on a continuous basis through the year."
Yesterday it was announced Oceanlinx would receive just under $4 million from the Federal Government's emerging renewables program.
Another wave energy company, BioPower, will receive $5.6 million for a wave energy project in Victoria.
Oceanlinx's site will be 4km off Port MacDonnell, on the South Australian coast near the Victoria border.
The remnants of Oceanlinx's Port Kembla attempt still remain, with the Mk1 generator, installed in 2006 but decommissioned in 2009, still a rusting hulk in the shallows at Oilies.
The Kilpatrick group was contracted to remove the wreckage but Mr Baghaei said a new contractor had been employed - on confidential terms - to complete the removal.
He said the new contractor would need the right weather conditions to complete the operation, but assured the Mercury it would be removed within months.
"I will push and push and push - I will make sure they do everything they can, to the best of their ability, and as safely and as soon as possible," he said.
Oceanlinx installed a more advanced generator off Port Kembla Harbour in March 2010 and it provided energy to the grid for three months. But it broke free from moorings in heavy seas.
Yesterday Mr Baghaei said the company had learned from its Port Kembla experience and would put the knowledge into action in the new generator, which is designed to generate up to 1MW of power.