EUREKA -- The Pacific Gas and Electric Co. is weeks away from submitting an application to the federal government for a first-of-its kind project to test wave energy devices off the Humboldt County coast.
The pilot project could be a proving ground for the large-scale production of energy from waves, but a host of environmental and economic concerns will have to be addressed before that can happen. At a public meeting at the Veteran's Hall Tuesday night, a working group made up of representatives from PG&E, state and federal agencies, commercial and sport fishing interests, and surfing and environmental groups outlined the promise and potential effects of new technologies.
PG&E expects to submit a pilot project license application to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission by Feb. 26. It will ask to test three to four different types of wave power generators in an area 1/2-mile wide and 2 miles long about 3 miles to sea roughly west of Arcata. The intense wave activity off the Humboldt coast, and the chosen area's proximity to a working harbor like Humboldt Bay, make it an ideal test site, said PG&E Senior Program Manager Bill Toman.
