Wave project forging ahead

London-listed investment group Renewable Energy Holdings (REH) has started testing three wave power pumps off the coast of Perth, western Australia.

The CETO II pumps are the second prototype of this wave power generator, with a third, full-scale version expected to be deployed later this year, depending on the succes of the tests.

The pumps, developed in collaboration with Australian company Carnegie Corporation, use the power of the waves to drive turbines located onshore.

"This is an important milestone for the commercialisation of our technology, as we can now instrument and record an aggregation of pumps working together," said REH chief executive Mike Proffitt.

"We plan to collect operating data for this array of three pumps and to add several more pumps to the aggregation. This will pave the way for the construction of a CETO III commercial-scale pump and its deployment in early 2009."

Australia is considered an ideal location for such projects because waves there are larger and more powerful than in the UK.

REH has been listed on the London Stock Exchange's Alternative Investment Market since February 2005.

The company moved into the black for the first time this week, reporting profits before tax of £1.1m.