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02/26/2008: "Ecology Partial Certifies a “Wave Power” Project"

Finavera Renewable photo

The State’s initial approval of two aspects of a proposal for a wave energy pilot project in Makah Bay may forecast how the Department of Ecology (DOE) will act on a tidal energy project that has been put forward for the waters of San Juan County.

The Makah Bay project has received two important go-aheads from the DOE. One approval certifies the project detailed in Vancouver Canada based Finavera Renewable’s application for their project won’t violate Clean Water Act regulations and, and the second states the project is consistent with the state’s Coastal Zone Management Program.

This determination gives Finavera the green light to move the project forward. The company must still receive other necessary state and federal permits before constructing the project; and it is in the final stage of Federal Energy Regulatory Commission licensing. It is the first project to receive a power purchase agreement from a Public Utility.


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"We support the development of renewable energy projects in Washington, and we are very interested in the outcomes of this demonstration project,” said Gordon White, manager of Ecology’s Shorelands and Environmental Assistance program. “

Finavera proposes to deploy a one-megawatt wave energy demonstration project in Makah Bay off the Washington coast. The company would place four buoys approximately three miles offshore. The energy created by the ocean’s waves would be carried onshore by power transmission lines 150 feet below ocean surface. The demonstration project is slated to last five years.

Ecology’s certification comes several weeks after the agency formally requested the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) reconsider its decision to grant Finavera a five-year environmental approval for this project.

FERC this week agreed to hear all requests for rehearing of the Finavera license received in a timely manner, including Ecology’s. FERC has not set a date for rehearing of the Finavera license.

The federal Clean Water and Coastal Zone Management acts require FERC to incorporate Ecology’s environmental approval and conditions into any licensing decision. By issuing its approval ahead of Ecology’s full analysis of Finavera’s application, FERC essentially changes the sequence of the normal permitting process.

There are eight to 10 other “in-water” renewable energy projects either under review now or in the future by Ecology. Some of the potential projects would be located in the Puget Sound, the Columbia River and on the state’s outer coast.