Ocean Power Technologies Enters Into First Commercial PB3 Agreement with Mitsui Engineering and Shipbuilding

Ocean Power Technologies, Inc. announced today that the Company has entered into a PB3 PowerBuoy® lease agreement (“Agreement”) with Mitsui Engineering and Shipbuilding (“MES”), which is valued at approximately $975,000. The PB3 PowerBuoy leased by MES is planned to be deployed off Kozu-island in Japan following a planned stage gate review.  Under the Agreement, OPT will also provide engineering support, associated deployment planning and logistics and ocean performance data collection and analysis. OPT and MES will also jointly develop and test an advanced control algorithm with the goal of assessing increased ocean wave energy capture and electric power generation for potential customers in Japan and surrounding countries. Work on the project began in March 2016 following the signing of a letter of intent by OPT and MES.

George H. Kirby, President and Chief Executive Officer of OPT, stated, “This first commercial agreement with MES is a significant and exciting commercialization milestone for OPT.  MES has been a strong strategic partner in the development of the PowerBuoy, and this milestone will allow MES to demonstrate the flexibility of the PB3 power and communications platform in sea conditions off the coast of Japan.  We believe that the deployment under this Agreement could provide access to a potentially huge market in Japan and the surrounding areas, and we’re looking forward to potentially leveraging these events with other interested parties.  Market applications could include national defense and security, such as early detection and warning systems for subsea and surface threats, or oil field management and metocean applications for the oil and gas industry and scientific communities.”

“We’re looking forward to working closely with MES to commercialize the PB3 throughout Asia.  We hope that it will serve the many markets in need of new and better power and communications solutions.”