OceanWell and Eau d’Azur have signed a memorandum of understanding to test subsea freshwater harvesting technology in France, marking OceanWell’s first deployment of the system in the country.
The agreement will allow OceanWell and Eau d'Azur, the public utility responsible for water and sanitation services across 51 municipalities in the Nice metropolitan area, to evaluate the technology beginning this year. The system operates at depths greater than 400 meters and uses natural ocean pressure to power reverse osmosis. According to the companies, each modular unit can produce up to 4,000 cubic meters of freshwater per day while reducing energy use and limiting environmental impacts compared with conventional desalination.
OceanWell Chief Executive Officer Robert Bergstrom said, “Securing our water future is a global challenge, and it demands solutions that work with nature rather than against it. From California to the Côte d'Azur, our subsea water farms are designed to provide a reliable, climate-resilient supply without the environmental cost of traditional desalination. This partnership marks another step toward our goal of delivering sustainable water at scale to coastal communities worldwide.”
The agreement will allow OceanWell and Eau d'Azur, the public utility responsible for water and sanitation services across 51 municipalities in the Nice metropolitan area, to evaluate the technology beginning this year
Eau d’Azur Interim Director General Arnaud Rostan described the project as an opportunity to diversify water resources, stating, “This agreement will allow us to develop new approaches to diversify and secure the territory's water supply, major issues in the face of the growing challenges of climate change.”
The collaboration emerged following an economic mission to California in June 2024 organized by Team Nice Côte d'Azur. Hervé Laubertie, the organisation’s CEO, said, “OceanWell's establishment in our territory illustrates the tremendous potential of Nice Côte d'Azur in the Blue Economy. By fostering collaborations with key local players such as Régie Eau d'Azur, we can both stimulate economic growth and contribute to protecting our oceans, a priority for our region and for the planet.”
The initial deployment is expected to run for about 12 months starting in 2026 and will include environmental impact assessments and marine monitoring. The results will inform a potential commercial-scale deployment in the Mediterranean between 2028 and 2030.
