Policy Considerations for Commercial OTEC Deployment and Technology Transfer

The proposals which responded to the DOE Program Opportunity Notice (PON) earlier this year for construction and deployment of full scale OTEC plants signaled the first steps towards commercialization of this technology. The end of this decade could see many plantships on stream, and major marketing efforts should begin shortly to interest potential customers in the global thermal zone. While competitive factors will lead to well engineered competitive designs, it is likely that pertinent questions of marine law and policy, technology transfer, and OTEC related fisheries problems will wait until forced ad hoc decisions are made in crisis situations. The purpose of this paper is to address these questions and examine policies, regulations, and various constraints which can affect the developing OTEC industry. The magnitude of the potential market mandates that issues be seen from international perspectives. Primary interest will focus on the differences in constraints imposed by U.S. policies, and Third World countries. Policies, from commercial perspectives, will be suggested.