Powerbuoy photo from Ocean Power Technologies
The news that Reedsport may be home for the first commercial wave energy project on the West Coast is an important development in Oregon’s quest to be a center for renewable energy. But also important, is what’s been going on behind the scenes to make this project happen as smoothly as possible.
For the past few years a large group of stakeholders has met to work out the environmental, recreation and safety issues that will be part of building and operating the Reedsport wave park. A draft agreement was worked out in January and a final version is expected in the mext month or two.
The work draws attention to Oregonians mixed feelings about wave energy. No one really wants to say “no” to what could be an important source of clean, renewable energy for the state. While at the same time, we’re concerned about how wave parks will impact the coastal environment.
The developer of the proposed Reedsport wave park is Ocean Power Technologies (OPT) of New Jersey. Back in the summer of 2006, OPT approached Governor’s Kulongoski’s office about ways to collaborate with the state, federal agencies, local governments and others who are concerned about the possible effects of wave energy.
Late that year, the Governor turned it over to Oregon Solutions, an organization that was created by the state to deal with just these kinds of projects. While Oregon Solutions is no longer involved, the process it started lives on.
BACKGROUND: Oregonians generally support the idea of wave energy, but worry that the state is moving too quickly. This is one of the results of a poll conducted last year by Oregon State University. The big recommendation from OSU? Work closely with local groups before building wave parks. See: Oregonians Unsure About Wave Energy
The goal of the stakeholders group is to identify possible environmental impacts of the proposed wave park and figure out how to study them. Once the license is approved, then it becomes a matter of using the information to guide, or change, the construction of the project and how it’s operated.
Here’s a partial list of what’s under consideration:
A gray whale spy hopping. Photo by Dr. Steven Swartz, NOAA Fisheries
Whales: The proposed project lies in the migration path of gray and humpback whales. These species feed by swimming with their mouths open, so there’s a chance they could collide with or become entangled in the mooring lines of the wave buoys. If the whales swim around the project, then the stakeholders group wants to know if that has any impact. There’s also the question of noise. Will the sounds generated by the buoys somehow interfere with how whales navigate?
Electromagnetic Fields: The wave park will produce some electromagnetic energy. What’s unknown is whether this will affect marine life. The stakeholders group questions if EMFs will disorient salmon. Some evidence shows salmon use the earth’s magnetic forces to guide them. Sharks are sensitive to EMF and there’s a concern they could be attracted to the buoys.
Sea Lions: It’s expected that sea lions and other pinnipeds will use the buoys as haul-outs, places where they can rest. This will make the buoys less efficient because of the extra weight. Having resting spots in the open ocean may also make it easier to sea lions to prey on salmon.
Sea Birds: The buoys rise 29 feet out of the water. So it’s possible that sea birds, which aren’t used to dealing with obstacles in the ocean, may accidentally collide with the buoys. At night, the lights on top of the buoys may attract birds – also leading to collisions.
Fishing and Crabbing: The stakeholders group is studying ways to keep crabbing and fishing gear from becoming entangled in the mooring lines.
Adaptive Management: A fancy way of saying that once the Reedsport wave park is approved, the stakeholders will continue working together on these issues and any others that might arise in the future. Based on new information, OPT may have to change how it constructs and operates the project in order to minimize impacts.
Paving The Way For Approval
When the final agreement is announced, it will be added to the license application that was filed Monday with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The hope is that FERC will include this agreement as one of the conditions for the license. Then it’s up to FERC to study the project and produce an Environmental Impact Statement.
But a lot of that work has already be done because of the stakeholder process. Plus, many of the members are the very agencies that FERC works with to write an EIS. They include NOAA Fisheries and U.S. Fish and Wildlife which are responsible for protecting the endangered species that could be hurt by the wave park. Other agencies include Oregon Fish and Wildlife, the Department of Lands and DEQ. OPT will need permits from Oregon before the project can go ahead.
By getting them together and working things out ahead of time, the hope is that it will speed things along for FERC.
Aanother of the groups taking part in the stakeholder process is Oregon Surfrider. Pete Stauffer says, “Wave energy has been an interesting issue for us.” Like so many others, Stauffer says Surfrider generally supports wave energy but wants to make sure it’s done in the right way. He’s pleased with the process so far. “The approach they (Oregon and OPT) have taken to this project is really good.”
His comments echo those of Phil Pellegrino with OPT. Pellegrino is very optimistic about a final agreement being announced soon. “The fact of the matter is,” he says, “that we’ve agreed to work – in an Oregon way – with the stakeholders to study these things. We intend to live up to our side of the bargain.”
By The Way
Yesterday’s application is for a full license to build and operate a 1.5 megawatt commercial wave energy project. Plans include 10 wave energy buoys, in a quarter square mile of ocean, almost three miles off the coast. The first buoy could be deployed late this year and work on installing the rest of them could be underway by fall of 2011.
[...] Reedsport, Oregon may be the site of of the first commercial wave energy project on the West Coast. Surfrider Foundation is an active stakeholder in this project, which would be developed by Ocean [...]