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ENLARGE
Buoys similar to this one are proposed to be anchored off the Oregon coast west of Gardiner. Ocean Power Technologies is looking to create electricity through wave action.
So you know ...
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is seeking comments on a request from Ocean Power Technologies to install a series of electricity-producing buoys in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Gardiner.
Written comments should be sent to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Merina Christoffersen, 1600 Executive Parkway, Suite 210, Eugene, OR 97401-2156.
Comments related to water quality issues should be mailed to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, 2020 S.W. Fourth Ave., Portland, OR 97201-4953, Attn: 401 Water Quality Certification Coordinator. They can also be sent by e-mail to 401publiccomments@deq.state.or.us.
Written comments should be sent to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Merina Christoffersen, 1600 Executive Parkway, Suite 210, Eugene, OR 97401-2156.
Comments related to water quality issues should be mailed to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, 2020 S.W. Fourth Ave., Portland, OR 97201-4953, Attn: 401 Water Quality Certification Coordinator. They can also be sent by e-mail to 401publiccomments@deq.state.or.us.
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ENLARGE
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A map supplied by Ocean Power Technologies shows the proposed location of a buoy farm off the Oregon coast west of Gardiner that would produce electricity through wave action.
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The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is seeking public comment on a request for a permit that would allow Ocean Power Technologies to install 10 buoys that would use wave action to produce electricity in the Pacific Ocean off Gardiner.
The New Jersey company is looking to place the buoys in a 1,300-by-1,000-foot zone 2.5 miles west of the shore. The buoys, with a float ring diameter of 36, would be spaced 330 feet apart.
A sub-sea transmission cable would transmit the electricity produced by the buoys to a Douglas Electric Cooperative transmission line on land. It would utilize an existing conduit, located about one-half mile from shore that formerly served as an effluent discharge pipe from the old International Paper plant at Gardiner.
Each of the buoys would feature a top that rises 30 feet above the water level and a submerged portion of 115 feet. Three anchor lines will keep each buoy in place within the grid.
The buoys would be inspected monthly to check connections, wear conditions and any other visible anomalies. Underwater inspections would be conducted annually.
The pilot project, the first along the Oregon coast, would produce about 4,140 megawatt hours of electricity, enough to meet the needs of 37 homes.
OPT recently installed one of its buoys at a Marine Corps base at Kaneohe Bay on the island of Oahu in Hawaii. The company also has projects in various stages of development in New Jersey, Spain, England and Scotland. It also has plans to develop a 200-buoy wave energy park off the coast at Coos Bay.
A second company, WaveGen, also has plans to set up a plant in Douglas County using wave energy to create electricity. Instead of placing buoys in the ocean, WaveGen is looking to set up a plant on the shore at Winchester Bay that would use the rise and fall of waves to turn a turbine that would produce electricity.
For the OPT proposal, the Army Corps of Engineers will consider impacts on endangered species, historic properties, water quality and general environmental effects. Comments will be considered in the preparation of an environmental assessment and environmental impact statement pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act.
• You can reach reporter John Sowell at 541-957-4209 or by e-mail at jsowell@nrtoday.com.
The New Jersey company is looking to place the buoys in a 1,300-by-1,000-foot zone 2.5 miles west of the shore. The buoys, with a float ring diameter of 36, would be spaced 330 feet apart.
A sub-sea transmission cable would transmit the electricity produced by the buoys to a Douglas Electric Cooperative transmission line on land. It would utilize an existing conduit, located about one-half mile from shore that formerly served as an effluent discharge pipe from the old International Paper plant at Gardiner.
Each of the buoys would feature a top that rises 30 feet above the water level and a submerged portion of 115 feet. Three anchor lines will keep each buoy in place within the grid.
The buoys would be inspected monthly to check connections, wear conditions and any other visible anomalies. Underwater inspections would be conducted annually.
The pilot project, the first along the Oregon coast, would produce about 4,140 megawatt hours of electricity, enough to meet the needs of 37 homes.
OPT recently installed one of its buoys at a Marine Corps base at Kaneohe Bay on the island of Oahu in Hawaii. The company also has projects in various stages of development in New Jersey, Spain, England and Scotland. It also has plans to develop a 200-buoy wave energy park off the coast at Coos Bay.
A second company, WaveGen, also has plans to set up a plant in Douglas County using wave energy to create electricity. Instead of placing buoys in the ocean, WaveGen is looking to set up a plant on the shore at Winchester Bay that would use the rise and fall of waves to turn a turbine that would produce electricity.
For the OPT proposal, the Army Corps of Engineers will consider impacts on endangered species, historic properties, water quality and general environmental effects. Comments will be considered in the preparation of an environmental assessment and environmental impact statement pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act.
• You can reach reporter John Sowell at 541-957-4209 or by e-mail at jsowell@nrtoday.com.
