PacWave South has yet to generate electricity; no wave devices have arrived
The PacWave South facility, developed by Oregon State University off the Oregon coast, has opened to companies seeking to test ocean wave energy technologies in open water and deliver that power to the local electricity grid. It is the first large test site of its kind in the continental United States, according to the AP report.
PacWave South has yet to generate any electricity. No wave energy devices have arrived at the site, and developers face delays in federal funding, according to the AP report.
Since Trump returned to office in 2025, the administration has slowed energy permitting and development, canceled billions of dollars in grants for hundreds of clean energy projects, and spent nearly $4 billion buying back offshore wind leases, according to the AP report.
PacWave Director Dan Hellin said the facility cleared a “go/no-go” review at the Energy Department that required sign-off by the energy secretary before it could open after Trump returned to office in 2025. Hellin said the approval came through last summer, and the facility connected to the grid this summer.
Wave energy remains an industry in its infancy despite its potential to generate large amounts of electricity, the AP reported. Trump officials see promise in harnessing the power of the ocean’s waves even as the administration has taken steps against other clean energy technologies, particularly offshore wind.