Partnership expandsOceanWell’s global work to deliver sustainable water in coastal regions

Nice, France – January 15, 2026 – OceanWell, a water technology company, and Eaud’Azur, the public utility managing water and sanitation services in the 51municipalities of the Nice Metropolis, have signed a memorandum ofunderstanding (MOU) to conduct a first deployment of its subsea water farmtechnology in France.

This testing will begin this year and will evaluateOceanWell’s deep-sea freshwater harvesting technology, which operates at depthsover 400 meters (1,300 feet). By harnessing natural ocean pressure to powerreverse osmosis, OceanWell’s modular pods can each harvest up to 4,000m³of fresh water daily. The approach is designed to lower energy requirementscompared to traditional desalination while reducing concentrated brinedischarge and marine ecosystem impact.

Robert Bergstrom, CEO of OceanWell: “Securing ourwater future is a global challenge, and it demands solutions that work withnature rather than against it. From California to the Côte d’Azur, our subseawater farms are designed to provide a reliable climate-resilient supply withoutthe environmental cost of traditional desalination. This partnership marksanother step toward our goal of delivering sustainable water at scale tocoastal communities worldwide.

Arnaud Rostan, Interim Director General at Eau d’Azur:"This agreement will give us the opportunity to develop new approaches todiversify and secure the territory's water supply, major issues in the face ofthe growing challenges of climate change."

Hervé Laubertie, CEO of Team Nice Côte d’Azur:“OceanWell's establishment in our territory illustrates the tremendouspotential of Nice Côte d’Azur in the Blue Economy. By fostering collaborationswith key local players such as Régie Eau d’Azur, we can both stimulate economicgrowth and contribute to protecting our oceans — a priority for our region andfor the planet.”

This collaboration was sparked during an economicmission to California in June 2024, where Team Nice Côte d’Azur identified thehigh potential of OceanWell’s groundbreaking solution for the region. With thebacking of Team Nice Côte d’Azur and local partners, OceanWell selected Nicefor its internationally oriented maritime technology ecosystem and itsstrategic technical partnership with Régie Eau d’Azur (REA). To facilitate theproject, OceanWell has established its European headquarters in Nice, OceanWellFrance SAS, which has received funding support from the Business Landingprogram of Métropole Nice Côte d’Azur.

The collaboration with Eau d’Azur expands OceanWell’spresence beyond North America, where the company is advancing Water Farm 1 inCalifornia’s Santa Monica Bay with seven water agencies. These efforts reflectOceanWell’s mission to deploy subsea water farms that can supplement strainedsupplies globally.

This new site paves the way for a future MediterraneanWater Farm demonstrator designed to secure a reliable supply of high-qualityfreshwater while safeguarding marine biodiversity. The first deployment willrun for approximately 12 months beginning in 2026 and will include anenvironmental impact assessment, marine ecosystem monitoring, and site-specificengineering studies to inform a potential commercial deployment between 2028and 2030.

To learn more about OceanWell, visit the website and follow on LinkedIn.

About OceanWell

OceanWell has developed a modular subsea water farmsolution that uses the sea's natural hydrostatic pressure, at a depth of morethan 400 meters, to sustainably produce fresh water. This technology combinesenergy efficiency (up to 40% lower consumption compared to desalination),respect for the marine environment (no discharge of strong brine), and ease ofdeployment (modular scalability, requiring no significant land use.) Thiseliminates the legacy technology burdens of desalination: high energy use, highcost, ecological impact, and a large industrial seaside facility.

Backed by Kubota Corporation, OceanWell is a graduateof the European Water Tech Accelerator and BCG’s social Impact Accelerator, aparticipant in XPRIZE’s Water Scarcity competition, and is supported by aworking group of 25 California water agencies. To learn more, visit oceanwellwater.com. 

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About Eau d’Azur

Located between the sea and the mountains, the 51municipalities that make up Métropole Nice Côte d’Azur span 1,479 km².Métropole Nice Côte d’Azur works in many domains: economic development,transport, housing, waste collection and treatment, water and sanitationmanagement, roads, public lighting, parking, ski resorts, marinas, urbanplanning and geographical IT systems. It has also expanded its activity tocover all roadways, school transport, ZEA sites (zones d’activitéséconomiques).

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