Abstract
The Mutriku Oscillating Water Column (OWC) Plant is an onshore infrastructure for wave energy harnessing promoted by the Basque Entity of Energy (Ente Vasco de la Energía, EVE). The facility is housed within a breakwater at the port of Mutriku (Basque Country, Northern Spain) and opened in July 2011. The plant consists of 16 turbines giving a total installed capacity of 296 kW. During winter 2015 it reached a major milestone; its first GWh of electricity supplied to the grid. This facility is now available as a test site providing developers with a unique opportunity to test new concepts in air turbines, generators, control strategies and auxiliary equipment.
Like other human activities in the marine environment, some environmental impacts over the marine environment were expected during the Mutriku OWC Plant exploitation phase. Among them, the generation of underwater sound during this phase was identified as one of the main expected environmental impact. In order to evaluate this impact, an environmental monitoring Plan (EMP) was developed for the monitoring of the underwater sound produced by the Mutriku OWC Plant.