‘Ocean energy in small islands…as long as the sun exists’ |15 July 2021

Ambassador Jumeau, chair of the executive council of Sids DOCK, signed the agreement with Global OTEC Resources on behalf of the Sids DOCK organisation

Sids DOCK and Global OTEC announce partnership to develop and deploy floating ocean thermal energy conversion technology concept in small islands

Sids DOCK, the Small island developing states (Sids) Sustainable Energy and Climate Resilience Organisation, has signed an agreement with the United Kingdom-based Global OTEC Resources Limited, to collaborate on developing and deploying floating ocean thermal energy conversion technology concept in Sids.

The signing ceremony took place on Friday July 2, 2021, by means of a virtual conference between representatives in Seychelles, Jamaica, Portugal and the United Kingdom.

Ronald Jumeau, chair of the executive council of Sids DOCK, who signed the agreement with Global OTEC Resources on behalf of the Sids DOCK organisation, said “the exciting thing is that this is a company led by a group of authentic, bold and innovative professionals, based in the United Kingdom. There is no other Sids DOCK partner, in name or mission that so perfectly aligns with one of the Sids DOCK work programme’s major activities, the Sids DOCK heads of state and government OTEC Initiative 2023: Bring Dominique Home! The possibility of using ocean energy offers one of the most promising opportunities, not just for development of a competitive sustainable energy sector in island states, but for the construction, installation and operation of the first floating ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) power plant, to be named ‘Dominique’, in partnership with the government of the Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe.

According to Al Binger, secretary general of the secretariat of SIDS DOCK, who has spent decades on research and development of OTEC technology, including as visiting professor at Saga University, Japan, “Global OTEC resources floating OTEC technology is so innovative that it is a game changer, bringing OTEC and ocean energy technologies a lot closer to a realistic option for Sids. In just one day, twenty-four (24) hours, the amount of energy that the sun puts in the tropical oceans can run our islands for decades. The ocean is an inexhaustible renewable energy source and as long as the sun exists, we will have thermal energy in the ocean,” he said.

Dan Grech, director for Global OTEC resources noted, “our breakthrough floating OTEC plant design stems from focusing efforts on small scale projects. Previous developers have attempted going the route of, ‘too fast, too soon,’ before having an operational grasp of the fundamentals of the cold-water pipe. Collaborating with leading riser manufacturers and scientists on the cutting-edge of subsea riser designs, we have a concept that reduces the technological and financial risk in deploying floating OTEC plants. This partnership is indeed a game changer for us, as we recognise ten gigawatts (10 GW) of installed fossil fuel capacities amongst Sids DOCK countries that need to be replaced with high-availability, clean, affordable power. The Sids are a springboard for innovation led OTEC deployments before we go on to address the global practical resource, expected to reach 900 GW by 2050,” he said.

Sids DOCK and Global OTEC Resources took part in their first formal event at the Vienna Energy Forum (VEF) 2021, in Austria, from July 5-7, 2021. The VEF, held virtually this year, is a bi-annual event organised by the Austrian Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs, the Austrian Development Agency (ADA), the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (Unido), and the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA). Since 2017, Sids DOCK has been a participant, and this year it hosted a side event: ‘Establishing an Ocean Energy Platform as a Marketplace to Support Sids and Coastal Nations to Deploy Ocean Energy Systems’, on July 6, 2021.

Ambassador Jumeau said the partners next have their sights set on the launch of the Ocean Energy Platform at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) conference of parties (COP 26) in Glasgow, UK, in November 2021.

“We will call on the international community to support Sids in our mission. This will include mandating to deploy commercial-scale ocean-based energy technologies that are appropriate to the demands of small island developing states, whether in the form of concessionary development and project finance, or by underwriting project risk where appropriate,” he noted.

Luiselio Pinto, Sids DOCK national coordinator for Sao Tome and Principe, brought greetings from the government. He agreed with Ambassador Jumeau, and said this is the kind of support that will bring the project to reality.

Press release from Sids DOCK