SeaTrepid to deploy wave power system offshore Chile
Dec. 7, 2020
Ocean Power Technologies Inc. has contracted SeaTrepid International LLC to deploy a turnkey PB3 PowerBuoy and oceanographic monitoring system offshore Chile.
Using remote collaboration tools, the Robert, Louisiana-based company’s personnel are virtually training on technical procedures and installation requirements with the OPT project engineering team to advance a planned December deployment.
This first-ever third-party installation of a PowerBuoy solution without the hands-on participation of OPT personnel comes due to circumstances created by the global coronavirus pandemic, the company said. International travel restrictions and COVID-19 concerns delayed deployment initially planned for earlier this year.
The system will be deployed off the coast of Las Cruces as an autonomous offshore platform powering a suite of oceanographic sensors and transmitting real-time data back to land. OPT shipped the wave power system and several components to Chile this past spring.
As the balance of the equipment arrives in Chile, OPT project engineers are supplying detailed procedures and documentation and will use remote collaboration tools to guide local contractors through system assembly. OPT will conduct full remote testing from its New Jersey operations base. SeaTrepid personnel and OPT project engineers will be in open contact using remote collaboration tools throughout the operation to ensure a smooth deployment.
