Sea Solar Power, Inc., a U. S. firm based in York, Pennsylvania is focussing on using OTEC to supply the global need for base-load power in the tropical regions of the world, including such countries as India, Brazil, Indonesia, and island nations such as Taiwan, Sir Lanka, and the Philippines, reports company vice president, Robert J. Nicholson, III.
A closed-cycle 100 MW floating power plant has been designed by J. Hilbert Anderson, and two prominent American engineering firms, who have conducted in-depth evaluations of the Anderson-designed OTEC plant, report that the new design, which is not site specific, is both fundamentally sound and economically feasible. A number of major American corporations are working with Sea Solar Power toward a planned development program for all details of plant design and equipment.
Consequently, Sea Solar Power is in the position to seek power purchase agreements and is offering power at a 1evelized price as low as 6.9 cents per kWh for a period of 20 years. Presently the company has proposed over 25 power plants to such countries as India, Sir Lanka, and the Philippines, and the first plant is projected for operation in 1995.