Our Katahdin and ORPC, Inc., announced a partnership today (Feb 7) to create a testing center at One North, the former Great Northern Paper Mill site, to support the next-generation design and development of ORPC's river hydrokinetic power system which generates electricity from river and tidal currents without dams or impoundments.
"We welcome ORPC to the portfolio of innovative businesses working with Our Katahdin to help transform, grow and improve the greater Katahdin region's economy," said Sean DeWitt, President of Our Katahdin's board of directors. "Our partnership with ORPC is yet another example of our area's suitability for new economic opportunities related to innovative technologies."
"Our expansion into Millinocket provides ORPC with a second Maine product development site, complementing our successful and on-going tidal energy product development activities in Eastport," said Stuart Davies, ORPC's CEO. "Our company is expanding its footprint in Maine and adding jobs. Securing the partnership with Our Katahdin helps strengthen ORPC's strategy for market growth ahead."
In 2021, ORPC's RivGen® Power System, operated in partnership with the Village of Igiugig, Alaska, became the longest operating hydrokinetic device in the Americas. The project provides baseload renewable power from the free-flowing Kvichak River to the remote community. In 2022, with the addition of a second RivGen device, smart grid controls and a battery energy storage system, Igiugig will reduce its diesel use by 60 to 90 percent. The Igiugig project is an exemplar of how ORPC can provide clean renewable energy to remote communities worldwide, replacing diesel-fueled microgrids, lessening diesel dependence, and lowering carbon emissions, noise, and environmental risk. Over 700 million people worldwide depend upon diesel microgrids, and two billion people have little or no access to electricity. ORPC is responding to market opportunities in over 35 countries and has active projects in Canada and Chile in addition to Alaska.
In Millinocket, ORPC will assemble, test and showcase a smaller version of the commercialized RivGen device called Modular RivGen for use in grid-connected markets, with applications for large rivers, electrical vehicle (EV) charging networks, hydroelectric facilities, irrigation canals and bridges, piers, breakwaters and flood controls systems. Along with using its own resources, ORPC secured funding from the U.S. Department of Energy's Water Power Technologies Office to help initiate associated product and market development.
ORPC will begin product testing later this year in Millinocket Stream adjacent to the former mill property. ORPC will also work with Our Katahdin on evaluating the site as a future production facility and showroom space in addition to contemporary hydrokinetic testing facility infrastructure and demonstration of use cases such as EV charging.
Our Katahdin is a volunteer driven nonprofit organization working to promote community and economic development in the Katahdin region. The organization focuses on the next generation forest, outdoor recreation and digital economies, with specific initiatives involving community development, entrepreneur development, industry development and broadband improvement. In the last year alone, the organization has welcomed data center, solar and broadband companies to Millinocket, initiated improvements to the community's downtown, and advanced progress on Brownfield cleanup associated with the former mill property. For more information, visit www.ourkatahdin.com.
ORPC, Inc., employs more than 20 people in Maine. The company is a recognized leader internationally in marine energy technology, innovation and operational excellence. The company is headquartered in Portland, Maine, with an electronics and engineering laboratory in Brunswick, and a marine operations center for tidal energy testing in Eastport. ORPC's economic impact in Maine includes over $40 million spent statewide. In 2021 the Maine International Trade Center, the state's global business arm, honored ORPC as Innovator of the Year. ORPC operates subsidiaries in Montreal (ORPC Canada), Dublin (ORPC Ireland) and Punta Arenas (ORPC Chile). For more information, visit www.orpc.co.
For more information, contact:
Susy Kist
Director of Communications
ORPC
skist@orpc.co
(207) 272-8615
Sean DeWitt
Presiden
Our Katahdin
sean@ourkatahdin.com
(917) 705-4669
