Wave energy developer CorPower Ocean and steel company SSAB have signed an agreement to explore development of a wave energy power plant using fossil-free steel.
CorPower Ocean will use the fossil-free steel delivered by SSAB as a structural material to build its wave energy system, with a goal to start integrating the fossil-free steel in CorPower Ocean’s commercial products from 2026.
CorPower Ocean recently deployed its first commercial scale C4 wave energy device off the coast of northern Portugal. Currently around 25% of these products’ lifetime CO2 emissions comes from the use of steel as a material, CorPower Ocean said. The deal marks a new step for wave electricity plants where greater emphasis is placed on the full life cycle of energy generating systems, including the sourcing and recycling of structural materials.
CorPower Ocean’s current technology uses SSAB’s high-strength steel. The introduction of SSAB’s fossil-free steel will further support CorPower Ocean’s commitment to environmentally friendly electricity production, according to a release.
“One of our core company mantras is to deliver the most environmentally friendly electricity on our planet. With our work with SSAB and fossil-free steel, we aim to lead the way within the renewable sector by transparent reporting and continuous reduction of lifecycle emissions,” said CorPower Ocean Head of Business Development Anders Jansson.
SSAB aims to deliver fossil-free steel to the market at commercial scale in 2026 and to largely eliminate CO2 emissions from its operations around 2030. SSAB works with iron ore producer LKAB and energy company Vattenfall as part of the HYBRIT initiative to develop a value chain for fossil-free iron and steel production, replacing the coking coal traditionally used for iron ore-based steelmaking with fossil-free electricity and hydrogen. This process virtually eliminates carbon dioxide emissions in steel production.
