FERC signs tidal power agreement with Maine

subscribe

Federal regulators and the state of Maine have signed an agreement to coordinate on the development of projects that generate power from the ebb and flow of the tides, marking the first such agreement on the technology for the U.S. East Coast.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission said it signed the agreement with the state of Maine to coordinate procedures and schedules for review of tidal energy projects off the state's coast.

"It's my hope that with the leadership of states like Maine, we can get some of these tidal energy projects into the water so their effects can be measured and their benefits demonstrated," FERC Commissioner Philip Moeller said in a release.

Several companies are racing to generate clean power by building machines with turbines that turn with the natural cycles of the tides.

Ireland's OpenHydro said recently it sees full-scale tidal power plants operating before 2014 as it builds pilot projects for utilities in the United States, Canada and France. The company's tidal "farms" would have each a capacity of 50 megawatts or greater, with individual turbines of 1.5 to 2 MW.

Previously the FERC signed agreements on tidal power with the states of Oregon and Washington.

Related News

Energy groups warn Trump and Perry are rushing major change to electricity pricing

WASHINGTON - A coalition of 11 industry groups is pushing back on Energy Secretary Rick Perry's efforts to quickly implement a major change to the way electric power is priced in the United States.

The Energy Department on Friday proposed a rule that stands to bolster coal and nuclear power plants by forcing the regional markets that set electricity prices to compensate them for the reliability they provide. Perry asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to consider and finalize the rule within 60 days, including a 45-day period during which stakeholders can issue comments.

On Monday, groups representing petroleum, natural gas, electric power and…

READ MORE
winter scene in calgary

Calgary's electricity use soars in frigid February, Enmax says

READ MORE

garbage-truck-crash-knocks-down-power-poles-in-little-haiti

Garbage Truck Crash Knocks Down Power Poles in Little Haiti

READ MORE

graph

Florida PSC approves Gulf Power’s purchase of renewable energy produced at municipal solid waste plant

READ MORE

rachel notley

The gloves are off - Alberta suspends electricity purchase talks with B.C.

READ MORE