Oregon Wave Energy Trust

State planning process too slow for one wave energy firm

View Original Source at Daily Journal of Commerce

December 1st, 2011

By: Lindsey O’Brien

Oregon has drawn a great deal of interest from burgeoning wave energy companies, but for at least one, the development of sea-ready technology outpaced the state’s planning process.

Aquamarine Power, a Scottish wave energy company, closed its one-person Newport office last month, citing the intensive, ongoing planning process that Oregon undertook in 2008. But that process may ultimately lead to more wave energy investment in the future, according to others in the industry.

“We’re taking major question marks off the table,” said Onno Husing, executive director of the Oregon Coastal Zone Management Association – a nonprofit that serves local elected officials on the Oregon coast. “Many of us firmly believe – and many companies have communicated to us – that the plan will substantially enhance the investment climate.”

After a number of wave energy companies in 2007 submitted permit applications to develop facilities within fishing areas off the Oregon coast, then-Gov. Ted Kulongoski directed the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development to amend the state’s Territorial Sea Plan to include provisions for wave energy siting.

“The process is just lagging behind the desire to create this economic activity in Oregon,” said Aquamarine Power CEO Martin McAdam, whose company has networked in Oregon for several years. “Now we’re exploring a number of sites in Washington and California, and when Oregon is ready, we hope to come back.”

The groups charged with drawing up Oregon’s new plan – the Territorial Sea Plan Working Group and the Ocean Policy Advisory Council – on Dec. 15 and 16 will discuss draft maps that will determine where wave energy buoys may, and may not, be sited.

But Aquamarine Power, one of the few companies with proven, utility-scale, hydrokinetic technology, doesn’t want to maintain operations in Oregon until the state plan is final.

“It’s costing us time and money to be working in Oregon,” McAdam said. “We’re quite a small company, although with a big ambition for Oregon. The fact is we need to see not just a willingness on behalf of the state, but actually the proper mechanisms in place to allow people to secure part of the seabed for the development of wave power.”

The marine maps, which incorporate more than 100 data overlays and more than 1,000 square miles of the ocean, chart the existing locations of fisheries, recreational areas, wildlife refuges and other areas, and will designate places for ocean energy development.

After conducting more work sessions along the coast and collecting public comments in early 2012, OPAC will submit a plan by spring 2012, according to Paul Klarin, marine affairs coordinator at the DLCD.

“Everything is coming together,” he said.

But the planning process has been complicated, in part because of the variety of proposed technologies, each with its own “sweet spot” in terms of siting needs.

“Are there some people confused by how this will all come together in the wave energy industry? Oh yes, and I feel their pain,” Husing said. “But the planning process has only inconvenienced one company (Aquamarine Power). That’s the larger context for this story.”

Unlike many other hydrokinetic technologies, which optimize in deep water, Aquamarine Power’s “Oyster” technology is installed near the shore in water approximately 10 to 20 yards deep. The Oyster, which has been successfully deployed off the coast of Scotland but nowhere in the U.S., is a wave-powered pump that drives ocean water to an onshore hydroelectric turbine.

“If any device needs planning, it’s theirs,” Husing said.

The Oyster’s proximity to the shoreline has raised concerns from coastal citizens about obstructed viewsheds, according to Husing, and additional permitting would be required for the technology’s onshore components.

The only company to win Oregon’s approval so far is Ocean Power Technologies, which leased space off the coast of Reedsport before the state began its official planning process. Ten of the firm’s PowerBuoys are permitted for installation 2.5 miles offshore near Reedsport, although none has been deployed yet.

Even though Aquamarine Power will not maintain an Oregon office, McAdam said he will stay in contact with potential future partners such as Oregon Iron Works, American Bridge Co., Central Lincoln People’s Utility District and other utilities.

“We want to have a whole ecosystem for this new industry, and the U.S. is a very entrepreneurial and business friendly economy,” McAdam said. “Once the (planning process) rights itself, we’ll be back.”

Reaching Out

Did You Know?

Oregon is a leader in wave energy.

Oregon focuses on a collaborative model for getting wave energy projects in the water.

That Oregon’s Coastline is among a few places in the world that has the key elements to tap into wave energy?

That Oregon can enjoy an abundance of energy generated by ocean waves?

That our state contains internationally- recognized experts who are leading efforts to responsibly develop wave energy?

That Oregon has capacity to build, maintain and deliver sustainable wave energy power to the grid?

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Why support Oregon Wave Energy Trust?

Wave energy is one key part of the comprehensive alternative energy solution for Oregon. And thanks to a combination of unique characteristics is the only source of energy where Oregon enjoys such a clear competitive advantage. As a result, Oregon’s wave energy industry provides myriad opportunities to deliver significant economic benefits to the state.

Oregon Wave Energy Trust (OWET) works closely with our state- wide stakeholders: fishing and environmental groups, coastal communities and industry, government agencies and other partners in responsibly developing this new industry while establishing Oregon as the North American leader in wave energy. The work that we do is the real benefit we offer our members.

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Oregon Wave Energy Trust was funded in part with Oregon State Lottery Funds administered by the Oregon Business Development Department. It is one of six Oregon Innovation Council initiatives supporting innovation and long term economic growth.