Wello wec underwater dismantling
The second-generation device was tested at the Biscay Marine Energy Platform (BiMEP) in the Basque Country of northern Spain. Wello announced the testing in September 2020, and hoped to deploy the device in October after a two-week tow from Scotland by Saipem. The 44 m long, 0.6 MW device eventually started generating electricity to the Spanish grid in September 2021, having been installed in July. It was proposed to test the device for two years. Saipem were responsible for the installation and the ongoing operations and maintenance.
In December 2021, the device was recovered to Vizcaya harbour after a minor leakage was detected inside the device. It was then moved to the Port of Bilbao, where it had remained for over a year, as of March 2023.
The truth is that the ship never returned to Finland , but remained docked in the Port of Bilbao, where it has been for over a year. Today, the Penguin 2 is half-sunk , making its removal very difficult. In addition to the serious environmental impact of abandoning a structure of this nature at sea, we are talking about a project that received public funding from European funds for promoting sustainability through renewable energy .
