Construction has begun off Oregon’s coast on the first commercial US wave energy farm, according to a USA Today report.
As per the information available, the first buoy will measure 150 feet tall by 40 feet wide, weigh 200 tons and cost $4 million. The development was confirmed by Phil Pellegrino, spokesman for New Jersey-based developer Ocean Power Technologies (OPT), which is developing the project. He added that nine more buoys are planned to deploy at a site in Reedsport, Oregon by 2012, at a total cost of $60 million.
The buoy will be built in Oregon at Oregon Iron Works (OIW) in Clackamas County.
Construction of this first PowerBuoy system represents Phase One of an expected 10-PowerBuoy Reedsport wave power station, the first commercial-scale facility of its type in North America, which will generate approximately 1.5 MW of electricity.
The nine additional PowerBuoys will be constructed and installed under Phase Two of the project.
The buoys will be barged to Douglas County by Sause Brothers, a company headquartered in Coos Bay. Reedsport wave power station will be located approximately 2.5 miles off the coast and connect directly to the Bonneville Power Administration’s Gardiner Substation. PNGC Power has signed an agreement with OPT and may purchase some of the electricity generated in Phase Two of the project.
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