Tidal energy project eyed for river

May 11--VERONA ISLAND -- A Washington, D.C., company is eyeing the Penobscot River for a tidal energy project which would utilize as many as 100 underwater generators to produce electric power. Maine Tidal Energy Co. has filed an application with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for a preliminary permit for the first phase of the project. The project is in the very early stages of development and would utilize emerging technology to tap tidal currents in the Penobscot River to generate power, according to Charles Cooper of TRC Environmental Corp. of Lowell, Mass., the environmental consultant for the project.

Without divulging confidential research information, Cooper said the characteristics of the area appear to be "suitable" and could "support potential tidal possibilities." The FERC permit, if issued, will give the company three years to study the site and to determine whether to develop the project. The permit would not authorize the company to do any actual construction in the river, according to commission spokesperson Celeste Miller. "All they are doing is looking at the site," Miller said Wednesday. "The permit would give them priority over another entity to determine if they want to develop it in the future." The initial study phase of the METidal project will cost between $1 million and $4 million and will involve developing baseline studies of the project area.

Although no construction is proposed at this time, the METidal application indicates the project would be located in the Penobscot River along the western side of Verona Island. The study area includes the entire western shore of the island in the study area, but the application notes the actual project footprint will be determined through site studies and will be smaller than indicated. The project will consist of one or more clusters of tidal generators referred to as "tidal in stream energy conversion" devices, connected by underwater transmission cables to electrical infrastructure on shore, according to the FERC application.

The exact location of the onshore tie-ins has not yet been determined, although the application identifies proposed cable areas on the eastern side of the river near Bucksport and on the western shore south of Fort Knox. The TISEC devices are "definitely developmental technology," Cooper said Wednesday, and the company is still looking at different designs for the project. Cooper emphasized that the company is still reviewing potential designs and has to take into account the specific characteristics of the river, not only in siting the TISECs, but in determining their size and type. "The references to specific dimension are very preliminary and general, and are, in fact, part of the development effort," Cooper said.

Ideally, he said, the devices would generate power on both rising and falling tides. "We want to have the devices work as often as possible," he said. "It's really too early to tell, but we'd like to see them working on as many tides and as many stages of the tide as we could." According to the application, the project will consist of rotating propeller blades approximately 20-to-50 feet in diameter, an integrated generator producing 500 kilowatts to 2 megawatts of electricity, an anchoring system, a mooring line and a transmission line to shore. Each of the 100 devices, or generators, is capable of providing power to about 750 homes, for a total of 75,000.

However, the company has a target of 80 percent of capacity, and expects to average approximately 8,760 megawatt hours per unit per year. The company initially plans to build 100 units, although the actual number will be determined "on a site-specific basis, taking into account the need to co-exist with other uses of the area, including navigation." The permit process includes no environmental review because the company cannot construct anything, she said. Before METidal could build anything in the river, it would have to apply for a FERC license, which is a "more involved" process which would include obtaining other state and federal permits, including environmental permits.

The project could provide an economic boost to the state, although Cooper said, again, that it is too early to tell how significant the impact could be. The project will generate jobs for the region, he said, although the exact number will depend on how many units are built. There also is a renewable energy component to the project, he said, noting that the units will not depend on fossil fuel to operate. "There may be other economic benefits that might not be realized locally, but will be there," he said. FERC is now soliciting comments, protests and motions to intervene in the permitting process.

Those wishing to comment have 60 days to file their comments by mail: The Secretary, FERC, 888 First St. NE, Washington, D.C., 20426, or electronically to the FERC Web site, www.ferc.gov.