French group DCNS and the Universiti Teknologi Malaysia are teaming up to develop ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) in the south-east Asian country.
The two organisations have signed a memorandum of agreement to conduct a pre-feasibility study aiming to identify the potential for an OTEC plant on the Malaysian island of Layang-Layang.
OTEC uses the differences in temperature that naturally exists in tropical waters between the surface water – about 25°C – and deep water (5°C at a depth of 1000 metres) to create electricity.
Layang-Layang island, located off Sabah in the North of Malaysia, is well positioned for the development of OTEC with a temperature difference above 20 degrees throughout the year, DCNS said.
DCNS chief executive officer Hervé Guillou said: “DCNS is a long-term naval and maritime partner of Malaysia and the agreement signed with Universiti Teknologi Malaysia OTEC Centre is a step further in our cooperation.
“OTEC is a promising technology for tropical insular territories like Layang-Layang and we are committed to bringing our expertise to identify all the opportunities to develop OTEC projects in the region.”
Image: impression of DCNS OTEC system (DCNS)
