The 400 kW OWC pilot plant on the island of Pico in the Azores, operational since 2005 has been the focus of continually improvement works under the activities of the Wave Energy Centre. This paper describes in detail the studies about the dynamic problem with the support structure and the progress of implementation, as well as the various lessons
learnt at the plant regarding sensor and auxiliary operation, protection measures, control issues, and generic observations regarding pilot plant O&M.
Finally the actual overall status of Pico OWC project and the planning for the forthcoming years is presented, and some aspects regarding the importance of this niche technology are discussed.
