Portland, Maine – ORPC Maine, LLC (ORPC Maine), a wholly owned subsidiary of Ocean Renewable Power Company, LLC, has announced it has received an additional $200,000 Development Award from the Maine Technology Institute (MTI) to continue the commercial development of its technology to generate power from tidal currents and create the environmental and economic benefits of capturing renewable energy from these indigenous, carbon free, sustainable energy resources in Maine and elsewhere. This is the second Development Award ORPC Maine has received from MTI.

More than three years in development, ORPC Maine is currently in the testing phase of its $1 million Ocean Current Generation (OCGen™) technology demonstration project at its Cobscook Bay and Western Passage sites near Eastport, ME.  The innovative project involves conducting a series of tests of a prototype turbine-generator unit (TGU) Data from these tests will be used to complete the commercial design of the TGU over the next year.

Joe Migliaccio, manager of MTI Business Innovations Programs, explained that ORPC built on a previous MTI Development Award to win the new one to help move the project further along the path to commercialization and potential economic benefit for Washington County and beyond. “Using the prior MTI award along with additional external match funding, ORPC Maine was able to manufacture a prototype in Maine and produce the data needed to prove out their concept.  This data and their shore-side support collaboration with Eastport were a few elements that enabled ORPC to successfully compete for the additional MTI Development Award investment.”

“We are honored that an organization like MTI, with such prestige in the areas of science, technology, and our environment, continues to support our project.  With MTI’s support, we will continue our aggressive development path towards commercialization of our technology and projects that will provide clean, emission-free electricity to the entire region,” stated Chris Sauer, president & CEO of ORPC Maine.  “Maine has tremendous natural tidal energy resources and the State has the foresight to encourage the development of ocean renewable technologies.”

Ocean Renewable Power Company anticipates securing additional private capital during the summer of 2008, followed by testing the commercial design of the TGU in the spring of 2009.

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About Ocean Renewable Power Company

Ocean Renewable Power Company, LLC (ORPC) was founded in 2004 for the purpose of generating reliable, competitive, emission-free electricity from the virtually unlimited energy resources of the oceans. ORPC is developing proprietary modular ocean current generation OCGen™ technology and incorporating it into environmentally superior, financially successful, ocean and tidal current generation projects. ORPC's principals include professionals with extensive experience in the development and financing of cogeneration, independent power and renewable energy facilities, and in the management of technology development and startup companies. ORPC is currently deploying and testing its OCGen™ Turbine Generator Unit at its Western Passage, Maine site. For more information about Ocean Renewable Power Company, visit www.OceanRenewablePower.com.

About the Maine Technology Institute

MTI was created by the Maine Legislature in 1999 to encourage, promote, stimulate and support research and development activity leading to the commercialization of new products and services in the state’s technology-intensive industrial sectors. Programs are designed to enhance the competitive position of those sectors and increase the likelihood that one or more of the sectors will support clusters of industrial activity and create new jobs. Visit www.mainetechnology.org for more information.