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Makah Bay Offshore Wave Energy Pilot Project Completes Environmental Assessment

Posted on: Thursday, 26 October 2006, 06:00 CDT

Finavera Renewables Limited (Finavera Renewables), a private Irish renewable energy company, with a growing presence in the US and Canada, is proud to announce the completion of a further significant step in developing the United States' first commercial wave energy power plant.

The Makah Bay Offshore Wave Energy Pilot Project has now completed the Environmental Assessment process. This process, which is being developed through Finavera Renewables' wave energy division and wholly owned subsidiary AquaEnergy Group Ltd. (AquaEnergy), marks a significant milestone for wave energy development in the United States.

AquaEnergy is developing the Makah Bay Offshore Wave project to demonstrate the economic and environmental benefits of wave energy conversion power plants in utilizing ocean resources to generate clean, renewable energy. The research and demonstration of the AquaBuOY pilot plant would contribute to advances in the worldwide ocean energy industry.

The Makah Bay Wave Energy Pilot Project will consist of the patented 'AquaBuOY' technology. AquaBuOYs are modular devices with a nameplate power rating of 250 kW, grouped together three miles offshore. A consortium formed for the project includes the Makah Indian Nation, Clallam County Public Utility District ('PUD'), Washington State University, Bonneville Power Administration through the Northwest Energy Innovation Center, Clallam County Economic Development Council, and AquaEnergy.

Alla Weinstein, CEO AquaEnergy and the first President of the European Ocean Energy Association, said, "The successful installation of the proposed offshore energy power plant will herald the beginning of a new renewable energy industry sector, bringing ocean energy one step closer towards generation of clean, competitively priced electricity to commercial and residential consumers in Washington State and other coastal U.S. States."

According to Fred Mitchell, Telecommunications and Power Resources Manager, Clallam County PUD, "The renewable power produced by the project will contribute to the generation mix in the region. This energy source also aligns with Clallam County PUD's objective to provide clean energy to customers."

The Makah Tribal Council Chairman, Ben Johnson Jr, concluded, "The Makah Tribe has interest in using energy derived from renewable resources. The Makah Nation chose to partner in this project due to the environmental integrity and low impact of AquaEnergy's offshore buoy technology over competing technologies."

Makah Bay Offshore Wave Project -- Environmental Assessment

The Environmental Assessment, known as a PDEA, (the 'Assessment'), prepared by Devine Tarbell & Associates, a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) qualified assessor, concluded that "the Makah Bay Project represents the first of its kind pilot wave energy project in the nation to involve the FERC licensing process. The assessment resulted in Findings of No Significant Environmental Effects from the proposed pilot project"

AquaEnergy is following the FERC's Alternative Licensing Process and is filing this Preliminary Draft Environmental Assessment (PDEA) with an application for an original FERC license. This filing is imminent, and will make the Makah Bay Pilot Project the most advanced wave energy project in the United States.

Completion of the PDEA was made possible with the financial support from Snohomish PUD, and Puget Sound Energy along with the support from Evans-Hamilton and Fugro Pelagos.

The Alternative Licensing Process (ALP) combines into a single process the pre-filing consultation and environmental review processes under the National Environmental Policy Act

(NEPA). Typically, FERC's license application process for a power plant consists of a multi-year process that AquaEnergy has now completed, including extensive environmental and technical studies, public meetings, stakeholder meetings, and other required actions. Since the project inception in 2001, AquaEnergy conducted meetings with environmental groups, fisherman's associations, and commercial and recreational users of Makah Bay. AquaEnergy's model approach involving the public was a result of early action in ocean energy project development.

The PDEA process examined and assessed potential impact of the demonstration project on the oceanographic, geophysical, and biological conditions of the Makah Bay. The PDEA conclusion of a Findings of No Significant Environmental Effects demonstrates that ocean energy conversion is well positioned to generate energy without negative impacts on the environment. The PDEA can be downloaded from AquaEnergy web site: www.aquaenergygroup.com

Project Overview

The AquaEnergy offshore plant consists of patented wave energy converters, AquaBuOYs, based on heaving buoy point absorber and hose-pump technologies. Clusters of these small, modular devices are moored several miles offshore where the wave resource is greater. The resulting offshore power plants are scalable from hundreds of kilowatts to hundreds of megawatts. They are suitable for distributed generation to coastal communities, or central generation for large population centers.

The mechanical portion of the Makah Bay pilot power plant will consist of four (4) low-profile moored buoys, AquaBuOY, placed 3.2 nautical miles offshore in water depths of 150-250 feet, to transform wave energy into usable electrical energy. The Makah Bay pilot power plant is projected to deliver 1500MWh annually.

The Energy Policy Act of 2005, which was signed into law on August 8, 2005, promotes the development of cleaner and more productive use of domestic energy sources as well as the diversification in energy supplies through greater use of alternative and renewable resources.

The FERC license application process is an extensive technical process compared to FERC's preliminary permit. The preliminary permit is issued for up to three years but does not authorize construction. According to FERC, it is not necessary to obtain a preliminary permit in order to apply for and receive a FERC license to construct and operate a power plant.

About Finavera Renewables & AquaEnergy Group Ltd

www.finavera.com & www.aquaenergygroup.com

Finavera Renewables is a private, Irish company dedicated to the development of renewable energy resources and technologies. The Company is in the process of listing, through a reverse take over, on the TSX Venture Exchange. The Company's objective is to become a major renewable and green energy producer by developing and operating its assets in the wind and wave energy sectors.

Source: Business Wire

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