Lockheed Martin Corp., which plans to build a Hawaii electrical plant that produces energy by exploiting ocean temperature differences, said it has received another $4.4 million in federal grants to help advance the commercialization of the technology.

The funding from the U.S. Naval Facilities Engineering Command will be used to develop components for the system that will employ ocean thermal energy conversion technology. OTEC systems leverage the temperature difference between warmer water at the ocean’s surface and colder water below to produce clean power.
The latest funding is an addition to a Naval Facilities Engineering Command contract for $8.1 million issued in 2009.

Lockheed hopes to build a 10-megawatt OTEC plant off Oahu in the next several years.
This contract modification is an addition to a Naval Facilities Engineering Command contract for $8.1 million issued in 2009.