The Caribbean Utilities Company (CUC) is currently in talks to potentially enter into a power purchase agreement with Cayman OTEC International Ltd, a privately financed developer of hydrothermal systems to provide the country with a sustainable energy source.

Using ocean thermal energy conversion, a clean and sustainable electricity generation option, is ideal for countries with a tropical climate and deep waters such as the Cayman Islands.

Eileen O’Rourke, President of Cayman OTEC said Grand Cayman was an ideal location for its first commercial ocean thermal energy conversion system.

“This type of renewable energy is gaining traction in other parts of the world, including Makai Ocean Engineering’s recent demonstration plant on the Big Island in Hawaii, which was commissioned and funded by the US Navy”, she said.

Although the demonstration plant in Hawaii uses ocean thermal-energy, there are differences in the technology and output compared to Cayman OTEC’s project. Cayman OTEC plans to initially produce 6.25 MW, which is free of carbon emissions and could power at least 5,000 homes on Grand Cayman, with a goal of eventually providing 25% or more of the energy needs of Grand Cayman. Additionally, Cayman OTEC’s project would annually displace the need for CUC’s diesel generators to use nearly three million gallons of diesel.

Unlike the Makai demonstration plant, which is land-based, Cayman OTEC plans for an off-shore site for its larger commercial project. An off-shore site respects the importance of the Cayman reefs and the Queen’s Bottom, while also reducing the amount of energy needed to pump water for the OTEC plant.

“We are excited to be the first to commercialize ocean thermal energy conversion technology and bring it to the Cayman Islands. We continue to be grateful for Cayman Islands government and CUC’s interest in developing this innovative and forward-thinking sustainable energy option.” O’Rourke said.

Cayman OTEC is privately funded through its parent company OTI, whose focus is to design and implement sustainable and eco-friendly renewable solutions at cost competitive value to local markets. With these business aims, they are able to provide Caribbean countries, such as the Cayman Islands, with long-term commercial solutions to energy supplies, at much lower costs than the land-based plants. This is in addition to the reducing the current use of cost volatile and polluting fossil fuels.

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