A media report in the US has highlighted that more than 100 preliminary permits have been issued nationally for wave- and tidal-energy projects in the past three years, and nearly 100 more are pending approval.
According to a report by The Seattle Times, till date only one company has won a licence to operate — a small wave-energy development off Washington's northwest coast. That project is also still awaiting state and federal permits, and its British Columbia-based developer, Finavera Renewables, doesn't know when the first devices will go in the water.
It highlights that the first commercial wave-energy park in the US could go in off Reedsport, Ore., within the next two years.
Given the unknowns in a young industry, it's not surprising projects are taking longer than some developers would like, said Myke Clark, senior vice president of business development for Finavera.
In fact, recently, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) rejected the request it had received to approve a power purchase agreement for a wave power project off the state's northern coast. The CPUC recently didn't accept Pacific Gas & Electric's (PG&E) application to approve a power purchase agreement for a 2 megawatt wave power project in Humboldt County, California signed between Pacific Gas & Electric and Finavera Renewables in December last year.
Finavera Renewables pointed out that CPUC's decision to disapprove a power purchase agreement (PPA) for a 2 megawatt wave power project in Humboldt County is out of step with federal policy and with other state and city initiatives.
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