Ocean Power Technologies, a provider of ocean energy solutions, has informed that its PowerBuoy has been deployed in the Adriatic Sea to advance Eni’s R&D MaREnergy project, aiming to develop, deploy and demonstrate suitability of wave energy renewable technologies in oil & gas operations.
The company said on Wednesday that the PowerBuoy would be used in the Adriatic Sea to advance Eni’s research and development of proprietary integrated subsea technology systems to allow future applications for remotely controlled field developments powered by wave energy, environmental monitoring and offshore asset inspection using autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs).
The PowerBuoy will be used to demonstrate subsea battery charging, which eventually may be used to provide a standalone charging station and communications platform that would enable the long-term remote operation of AUVs.
According to the company, the PB3 PowerBuoy is a power and communication platform for remote offshore applications such as autonomous vehicle charging, meteorological and ocean data collection, subsea equipment powering, and well monitoring for offshore oil and gas operations.
George H. Kirby , President and Chief Executive Officer of OPT, said, “Our team has worked closely with Eni to ensure the successful deployment of the PB3 PowerBuoy in the Adriatic Sea. Since our agreement was signed in March, OPT and Eni have achieved several key milestones.”
The agreement between OPT and Eni provides for a minimum 24-month contract that includes an 18-month PB3 PowerBuoy lease and associated project management. OPT will also provide deployment support, remote data collection and monitoring. At the conclusion of the initial 18-month lease, and upon meeting technical metrics, Eni will have the option to either extend the lease for an additional 18 months or purchase the PB3 PowerBuoy.
It is also worth mentioning that OPT last January signed an agreement with Premier Oil to study the feasibility of using the PB3 PowerBuoy for decommissioning operations in the North Sea.