Finavera fancies Pacific Northwest

Finavera Renewables has picked Portland as the home of its newest office. A private, Ireland-based company with offices in Dublin and Vancouver, B.C., Finavera recruited Kevin Banister to lead the North American operation of its wholly owned subsidiary, AquaEnergy Group Ltd. Banister joins AquaEnergy after serving as manager of government affairs and special projects for Pacific Northwest Generating Cooperative.

In October 2006, AquaEnergy applied to the Federal Energy Regulatory Committee (FERC) for a license to build a wave energy pilot project in Washington state’s Makah Bay. The Makah Bay project, which would be the first of its kind in the United States, compliments Finavera’s wave projects in Portugal, South Africa and Canada [see “Waves aren’t just for surfin’ anymore,” Sustainable Industries, June 2004].

In Makah Bay, AquaEnergy expects four patented AquaBuOYs, located about three nautical miles offshore, to generate 1,500 annual megawatt- hours of electricity. As part of the licensing process, AquaEnergy submitted a preliminary draft environmental assessment to FERC. “It could be six months to a year before they approve it,” says Mary Jane Parks, director of the Makah Bay project.

Groups contributing to the Makah Bay project include the Makah Indian Nation, Clallam County Public Utility District, Washington State University, and Bonneville Power Administration through the Northwest Energy Innovation Center and Clallam County Economic Development Council.

Finavera also has 1,500 MW of wind energy projects under development in the Peace River region of British Columbia, along with 180 MW of wind energy projects in Ireland.

With a new presence in Portland, AquaEnergy will be in close proximity to the Oregon coast, which could generate about 50 kilowatts of energy per meter, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. And just east of Portland, the Columbia River Gorge is active with wind energy development [see “The long and windy Gorge,” Sustainable Industries, Oct. 2006].