ORPC Inc., headquartered in Portland, said Thursday that its CEO and co-founder, Chris Sauer, will retire Jan. 17.
Under his leadership, ORPC developed a marine renewable energy technology from concept to proven product. Today ORPC’s first commercial RivGen Power System is operating in Igiugig, Alaska.
Engaged in energy entrepreneurship for most of his career, Sauer is a pioneer in the marine renewable energy sector. He helped launch ORPC — originally known as Ocean Renewable Power Co. — in 2004. After serving as chief technology officer, Sauer became CEO in 2006.
Technology developed and patented under his leadership converts the energy in water currents, both tidal and river, into non-polluting, renewable supplies of electricity.
ORPC is the only company to have built, operated and delivered power to a utility grid from a tidal energy project, in Maine, and to a remote community grid from a river energy project, in Alaska.
Based in Maine since 2006, in 2008 ORPC established its headquarters in Portland and hired its first three employees. Today the company has 30 people and has offices in Montreal and Dublin, an operations center and test site co-hosted by Eastport and Lubec, and a project office in Anchorage, Alaska.
Since 2009, ORPC has spent more than $37 million in Maine and worked with more than 280 contractors and suppliers in 14 of Maine’s 16 counties. In Alaska, ORPC has spent more than $3 million working with over 80 contractors and suppliers throughout the state.
Sauer, who was named to the Mainebiz Next List in 2010, will continue to serve the company as an advisor. ORPC said it expects to name his successor in early January.
The announcement comes on the heels of November’s news that the U.S. Department of Energy awarded ORPC a grant of $3,875,859 to further develop its innovative hydropower technology for use in remote areas.
