French wave energy technology developer Seaturns has announced plans to deploy its first pre-commercial offshore wave energy project off the coast of Mauritius.
The company was selected as a winner under the NSEPCRET Round 3 programme (National Scheme for Emerging Project Concepts Based on Renewable Energy Technologies), led by the Mauritius Renewable Energy Agency. The scheme supports emerging renewable energy technologies and includes a Power Purchase Agreement with the Central Electricity Board.
The project will begin with the installation of a 2MW array of wave energy converters connected to the Mauritian electricity grid to demonstrate the performance and reliability of the technology under operational conditions. If the pilot phase meets performance expectations, an additional 8MW could be installed, bringing the total capacity of the wave energy farm to 10MW. According to Seaturns, this would represent the first pre-commercial offshore deployment of a wave energy farm connected to a national electricity grid.
The development is intended to support Mauritius’ strategy to diversify its energy mix and strengthen electricity supply security as the country continues its energy transition and economic growth.
Seaturns said wave energy could provide a predictable renewable resource to complement existing generation in island power systems. The company highlighted that its technology has been designed with island territories in mind, including a simplified design intended to enable rapid manufacturing, a scalable configuration adaptable to site conditions, and systems designed to be maintained offshore. The company also said the technology has been developed to withstand harsh marine environments while maintaining reliable renewable power production.
The project is being developed in partnership with Taylor Smith Group, a Mauritian industrial group active in maritime services, port operations, logistics and offshore activities. Founded in 1856, the group operates a marine cluster supporting maritime and offshore industries in the Indian Ocean region.
Seaturns said the partnership will enable local manufacturing of the floaters and the use of Mauritian infrastructure and maritime capabilities for deployment, installation and maintenance. The collaboration is also intended to support the development of a regional industrial value chain for the company’s technology.
“Seaturns has been considering Mauritius for years, which has an important wave energy resource and is a country committed toward innovation. This project benefits from this strategic geographic position in Mauritius Island to support the development of the wave energy market across Southern Africa and the Indian Ocean. It also reflects Seaturns’ ambition to establish itself as the French leader in offshore wave energy, while continuing to develop its international project portfolio. Seaturns team is particularly proud to support Mauritius in its energy transition and looks forward to delivering its first commercial demonstration,” said Lawrence Sigaud, General Manager of Seaturns in charge of Business Development.
Seaturns said the project is intended to validate the technology in a grid-connected environment, strengthen its position in the Indian Ocean region and accelerate progress toward commercial-scale deployment.
In parallel, the company has started testing a full-scale prototype in the Atlantic Ocean in France, with trials scheduled to continue through 2026 in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in partnership with the Grand Port Maritime de Bordeaux.
“This project is a perfect continuation of the full-scale trials we are conducting in 2026 and 2027; it will be the ideal technical and commercial demonstration for our future farms, and it will be a way to gain comprehensive experience throughout the lifecycle of our technology” said Vincent Tournerie, Seaturns founder.
The prototype will undergo testing in sea conditions representative of future commercial deployments for at least 12 months to gather technical and operational data required for industrial-scale deployment. Seaturns is also a laureate of the France 2030 programme, which supports the company’s international development.
