We are please to let you know that the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaiʻi Authority (NELHA) Board of Directors has authorized final lease negotiations with OTEC International LLC (OTI) to construct a one-megawatt full-cycle demonstration plant at the Hawai‘i Ocean Science and Technology (HOST) Park at Keahole Point in Kailua-Kona, Hawai‘i.

We think it’s safe to say that there’s excitement all around at the prospect of the demonstration.  For OTI,  demonstrating the integration of components will lead directly to a commercial plant.

The NELHA board voted unanimously Jan. 31 to approve in concept OTI’s plan for the ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) facility.

“NELHA’s facility was founded for OTEC research and has been the foremost site in the world since 1974,” said Eileen O’Rourke, chief operating officer of OTI.  “We are excited at the prospect of bringing our full-cycle test there.”

The full story on the NELHA board’s action can be found here.

OTI’s team spent two weeks in Hawai‘i in January meeting with government, business and community stakeholders in Hawai‘i—both on O‘ahu and Hawai‘i Island—explaining OTI’s plans and its business model of triple bottom line: environmentally friendly, socially meaningful and financially successful.

For its off-shore commercial plants, OTI is negotiating with Hawaiian Electric Company for a 100 MW plant off O‘ahu and with the Caribbean Utilities Company for a 25 MW plant and in preliminary discussions with other utilities.

OTI Selected to Build Demo Plant at NELHA

OTEC International LLC is pleased to announce that it has been selected to build a 1 megawatt (MW) demonstration plant at Hawaiʻi Ocean Science and Technology (HOST) Park which is administered by the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaiʻi Authority.

NELHA had issued a request for proposal for a 1 MW facility at the HOST Park and on Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2011, NELHA’s board chose OTI after staff and the Research Advisory Committee rated our proposal substantially higher than other submissions. Greg Barbour, executive director at NELHA, called OTI’s proposal “superior and comprehensive.”

Barry Cole, OTIʻs executive vice president, leads a team of development partners that  has pulled together an OTEC power cycle using both off-the-shelf and proprietary components.

OTI plans to build the onshore 1 MW demonstration to integrate the complete power system on a smaller scale to reduce the risk for its first full-scale commercial project in offshore waters.

The HOST Park in Kailua-Kona on Hawaiʻi Island was established for demonstration and commercialization of renewable energy, ocean science and sustainable living technologies. (www.nelha.org)

Link here to see the media announcement of the NELHA selection.

Link here to see our team and development partners.

OTEC International LLC Updates its Web Presence

OTEC International, LLC (OTI) is pleased to announce the launch of its updated website. You can access it either through OTECInternationalLLC.com or oteci.com.

As OTI progresses toward commercialization of electricity generation through ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) we will regularly update our site and keep you posted on developments.

Status Update: We have a term sheet and are now in advanced discussions with Hawaiian Electric Company for a power purchase agreement on a 100-megawatt operation along with similar talks with the Caribbean Utilities Company, Ltd. for 25 MW.

If ever the time for OTEC, it’s now.  OTI’s technology has taken significant leaps over the past decade, with improved processes and materials at the same time fossil fuel supplies dwindle, its prices and global demand climb.

As proof of OTI’s advanced technology, ABS (American Bureau of Shipping) has reviewed our 100 MW and 25 MW moored spar power plants and given OTI it’s first ever Approval-in-Principle for a floating renewable energy facility.

Read about ABS’s approval on our new website…