Under the new deals, American Bridge Manufacturing will manufacture the subsurface floats and tow-out fixtures that are part of the mooring system for the PowerBuoy, while Cascade General, a subsidiary of Vigor Industrial, LLC will perform the final assembly of the PowerBuoy and position it in the Columbia River for towing to the coast. Oregon Iron Works, who was previously awarded a contract for fabrication of the PowerBuoy’s steel spar, will perform the insertion and assembly of OPT’s innovative and proprietary power take-off and internal electronics into the PowerBuoy spar, and Sause Bros Inc will assist OPT in the deployment of the PowerBuoy, including towing it from the final assembly site in Portland to the Port of Coos Bay, and the positioning and installation of the buoy, mooring lines and anchors at the Reedsport site.
The new contracts, with the previously awarded contract to Oregon Iron Works for the fabrication of the buoy’s spar, takes the total invested by OPT in the local economy to over $6M, creating or saving up to 100 manufacturing and marine services jobs at the four companies and their suppliers. The contracts will also indirectly generate additional jobs for suppliers and service providers in the local coastal communities and the Portland area. The project will lead to further job creation in the coastal areas for the continuing operations and periodic maintenance of the PowerBuoy after its deployment.
After the initial PowerBuoy is deployed and tested off the coast of Reedsport, expected later this year, OPT plans to construct the first commercial-scale wave power station in the US, consisting of up to nine additional PowerBuoys and grid connection infrastructure, subject to receipt of all necessary regulatory approvals and additional funding. This wave energy array will be developed by Reedsport OPT Wave Park, LLC.