USA: ORP Celebrates First Phase of Cobscook Bay Tidal Energy Project

Ocean Renewable Power Company will host a dedication ceremony in Eastport, Maine, today, Tuesday, July 24, 2012 to celebrate its Cobscook Bay Tidal Energy Project, the first phase of the company’s Maine Tidal Energy Project, and the first commercial, grid-connected ocean energy project in the United States.

The July 24th program will include live music starting at 10:00 a.m. by the Schuth Boys, an Eastport-based musical trio, formal remarks at 11:00 a.m., and cake, lemonade, and viewing of ORPC’s TidGen™ turbine generator unit (TGU) at 12 noon. This will be the first and last opportunity for the public to see the fully assembled TGU prior to its deployment at ORPC’s Cobscook Bay project site.

Scheduled to make remarks as part of the festivities are

Steven G. Chalk, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy, U.S. Department of Energy;

Ann Miles, Deputy Director, Office of Energy Projects, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission;

Maine Technology Institute Interim President, Joe Migliaccio;

and local officials from Lubec and Eastport.

The dedication, to which the public is invited, will be at Morrison Landing (also known as The Boat School), 14 Deep Cove Road, Eastport.

In February 2012, ORPC was issued a pilot project license for its Cobscook Bay Tidal Energy Project by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. In March, deployment began with installation of the bottom support frame for the first TidGen™ TGU at ORPC’s site in Lubec near Seward Neck. By late summer, ORPC expects to have the TidGen™ Power System installed, and by October 1, the company will begin delivering electricity to the grid.

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Offshore WIND staff, July 24, 2012; Image: orpc