ORPC, a global leader in renewable power systems that generate electricity from free-flowing river and tidal currents, has signed a contract with Shell Technology - Marine Renewable Program for the purchase of two next-generation Modular RivGen devices. The devices will be deployed as a technology demonstration at a Shell facility on the Lower Mississippi River in 2024 following detailed site characterization work this fall.
This next step in the collaboration between ORPC and Shell Technology - Marine Renewable Program advances the resource characterization work undertaken in May 2023, where, in partnership with Louisiana State University, ORPC assessed three potential sites in the Lower Mississippi River, to showcase the capacity of ORPC's Modular RivGen Power System to provide renewable, predictable electricity on a kilowatt scale. ORPC is in the process of more detailed feasibility and resource assessments, geospatial analysis, and permitting and engineering work to fine-tune an installation plan.
The Modular RivGen device utilizes the same patented cross-flow turbine technology to harness river currents as ORPC's commercial RivGen® Power System and is designed to power existing infrastructure at lower velocity sites. A two-unit array was successfully deployed in May 2023 in partnership with Our Katahdin at its One North facility on Millinocket Stream in Millinocket, Maine. Funded in part by the U.S. Department of Energy's Water Power Technologies Office, the project is featured in a U.S. Department of Energy-produced video highlighting the Modular RivGen System's potential to provide power to EV charging stations and critical infrastructure.
"We are very excited to be working with Shell Technology - Marine Renewable Program to build ORPC's next generation Modular RivGen technology to pilot a new use case after a successful run of our first units here in Maine," ORPC CEO Stuart Davies said. "We are very appreciative of the opportunity to demonstrate the adaptability, ease of integration, and variety of use cases for ORPC's power systems."
About ORPC
Headquartered in the U.S., with subsidiaries in Canada, Ireland and Chile, ORPC is a global leader in marine energy technology innovation and operational excellence. A developer of clean, renewable power systems that harness energy from free-flowing rivers and tidal currents, ORPC's rise to a leadership position in the worldwide marine energy industry is based on an impressive record of continuous improvement and success.
In 2021, ORPC was honored as "Innovator of the Year," by the State of Maine's International Trade Center and has a long track record of prestigious awards dating back more than a decade, including "World's Top Ten Most Innovative Companies in Energy" by Fast Company (2013), and the National Hydropower Association's Award for Operational Excellence in 2016 (ORPC is the first marine energy company to receive this award). ORPC was one of five technology developers featured in the International Energy Agency Ocean Energy System's "Ocean Energy in Islands and Remote Locations," published in October 2023.
Read more about ORPC at www.orpc.co. Image is available for download here.
Contacts:
Susy Kist, Director of Communications
ORPC
skist@orpc.co
Pak Leung, Offshore Engineering Technology / Marine Renewable Program Manager
Shell International Exploration and Production, Inc.
pak.leung@shell.com
