Cook Inlet tidal energy project progresses

Alan Bailey

for Petroleum News

In a recent news release Ocean Renewable Power Co. announced progress in its planned development of a tidal power generation system in the waters of Cook Inlet, offshore the East Foreland area of the Kenai Peninsula. ORPC proposes to install turbine water current generators at the site, with a submarine cable connecting the generation site to the shore, in what the company refers to as the American Tidal Energy Project. The facility would deliver power to Homer Electric's transmission system on the Kenai Peninsula. The waters of the Cook Inlet have particularly strong tidal currents that could potentially be used to generate electricity.

ORPC says that in phase one of the project the partners in the project have been conducting preliminary engineering and advancing regulatory efforts. Those regulatory efforts have involved meetings with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Alaska's regulatory agencies. A community engagement team has launched a project website and completed a stakeholder survey, requesting feedback from people and organizations around the Kenai Peninsula, ORPC says.

Following a technology selection process led by Tidal Energy Corp. and the European Marine Energy Centre, ORPC is recommending the use of the Proteus AR series turbine and the ORPC TidGen Power System in phase two of the project, ORPC says.

According to the project website phase one of the project, scheduled for 2024 and 2025, involves preliminary engineering and permitting. Phase two, scheduled for 2025 to 2027, involves field surveys, final engineering and permitting. Phases three to five, scheduled for 2027 to 2030, will involve procurement, installation and operation. The U.S. Department of Energy's Water Power Technologies Office is providing some funding for the initial stages of the project.

--ALAN BAILEY