Honolulu-based Makai Ocean Engineering will participate in Lockheed Martin's $1.2 million contract for demonstrating innovative technologies enabling ocean thermal energy conversion.

Locked said it was awarded the contract by the U.S. Department of Energy. Under it, the company will demonstrate a coldwater pipe fabrication approach using fiberglass and composite materials.

"OTEC holds the promise of providing clean, base-load electricity to energy markets that today rely almost exclusively on fossil fuels," said Denise Saiki, general manager of Lockheed Martin's Undersea Systems business unit.

"It's conceivable, for example, that OTEC could enable Hawaii to achieve energy independence with a generation."