Wave Energy Potential Assessment during Recent Extreme Events Observed on Benin’s Coastal Area, Gulf of Guinea (West Africa)

The coast of Benin has been subject for several years to a series of extreme wave with consequences, the collapse of buildings, the displacement of the population, the early cessation of fishing activities.In this paper, we assessed extreme wave energy potential in Benin coastal area during extremes events from sixteen years ERA reanalysis of European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) data sets and buoy ALIZE data sets deployed offshore about 6 Km from the Autonomous port of Cotonou (Benin).The results show that period from May to September is the extremes wave period with 77% of occurrence, with May, July and September, the months of greatest occurrences.Wave energy in Benin coastal area during this period is evaluated at 646.26 MWh/m and constitutes an important resource that can help the country for its energy self-sufficiency.