Wave energy testing site opens off Oregon, a green energy milestone in the Trump administration

PacWave South, a grid-connected wave-energy testing facility off Oregon, opened Wednesday after receiving Energy Department approval under President Donald Trump, creating a new U.S. test bed for marine-power technology. Oregon State University developed the facility, about seven miles offshore near Newport, to let companies test wave-energy converters in open-ocean conditions and send electricity ashore. PacWave Director Dan Hellin said the project passed a federal “go/no-go” review last summer and connected to the grid this summer. The Department of Energy says it has invested nearly $150 million in the facility since 2016. The site is pre-permitted and can eventually accommodate up to 20 converters with 20 megawatts of combined capacity. However, PacWave South has not generated electricity because no wave-energy devices are currently deployed, with federal funding delays affecting developers. The opening is a milestone for an emerging industry, but commercial-scale wave power remains unproven in the United States to date.