PacWave Opens as Wave Power Waits

PacWave South, developed by Oregon State University with federal support, has opened off the Oregon coast as a pre-permitted, grid-connected testing site for wave-energy devices.

Its standardized berths, undersea cables, and ability to connect test electricity to the local grid could reduce barriers to marine-energy development, but no devices have yet arrived and funding disruptions have delayed deployments. The facility is expected to begin generating wave power after prototypes are installed, with commercial viability still unresolved.