USA: OPT Announces Financial Results

USA: OPT Announces Financial Results

Ocean Power Technologies, Inc. (“OPT” or “the Company”) announced financial results for its fiscal 2013 second quarter and the six months ended October 31, 2012.

Highlights

OPT reported an operating loss of $9.2 million for the six months ended October 31, 2012, relatively unchanged from the comparable period in fiscal 2012.

The Company announced the award of a ¥70 million (approximately US $0.9 million) contract from Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding (“MES”) for further work towards development of wave energy opportunities in Japan. Under the terms of the contract, OPT will team with MES to develop PowerBuoy® enhancements that, under Japanese wave conditions, would provide for improved power capture.

OPT established a new business unit to assess, target and develop opportunities in the large potential markets for OPT’s non-grid connected PowerBuoys. Dr. Phil Hart, previously Chief Technology Officer, now heads the Autonomous PowerBuoy business unit, tasked with accelerating commercialization within these markets. OPT’s products for this sector have been developed for off-grid applications such as defense and homeland security, offshore oil and gas operations and oceanographic data gathering. The Company believes that the Autonomous PowerBuoy market may represent a significant opportunity for profitable growth.

The Company announced the appointment of Dr. Mike Mekhiche to the position of Vice President, Engineering. Dr. Mekhiche joins OPT from BAE Systems, where he most recently held the position of Director of Programs. Dr. Mekhiche will be responsible for the Company’s engineering and advance technology development. This will include technology delivery, continuing enhancements and development of OPT’s wave energy technology portfolio, and the development of the next generation of PowerBuoy systems.

In August 2012, OPT announced that the Company’s wholly-owned Oregon subsidiary, Reedsport OPT Wave Park, LLC, had received approval from the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for the build-out of its proposed 1.5 megawatt, grid-connected wave power station off the coast of Reedsport, Oregon. The Company plans to deploy the first of its PowerBuoys off the coast of Reedsport in calendar year 2013. OPT intends to seek additional funding for deployment of this first PowerBuoy in view of risks associated with weather delays, operations and other contingencies.

Terence J. Cryan was elected to the OPT Board of Directors at the Company’s Annual Meeting in October 2012. Mr. Cryan is the co-founder and a managing director at Concert Energy Partners, a New York based private equity investment firm focused on the alternative energy, power, and natural resources industries. Mr. Cryan brings strong experience from the energy sector and has worked first-hand with organizations commercializing new, groundbreaking technology.

 Charles F. Dunleavy, Chief Executive Officer of OPT stated, “This quarter Ocean Power Technologies took several steps to position the Company for further growth and expand our opportunities across the globe. With the appointment of Phil Hart to the new role overseeing our Autonomous PowerBuoy business unit, we will be better able to proactively address this expanding market opportunity with greater focus. At the same time, we have brought on Mike Mekhiche as our Vice President of Engineering with the key task of managing our many technology development initiatives around the world – including our work with Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding in Japan, Lockheed Martin in Australia, and the European Union in Spain. We are also very pleased to have Terry Cryan on our Board of Directors given his experience across sectors very relevant to OPT’s business. This is an extremely busy time for OPT, and we are excited by the level of interest in our target markets that we envision for the remainder of fiscal 2013.”

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Press Release , December 16, 2012