PUD aims to explore tidal power

EVERETT — Several utilities and prospecting companies are trying to stake their claims to prime sites for what may be a new source of renewable energy: tidal power.

Picture an Eastern Washington field of giant wind turbines — under water.

The Snohomish County Public Utility District (PUD) is among those trying to secure permits from federal energy regulators to examine harnessing tidal energy in key sites around Puget Sound.

The utility wants to explore planting fields of tidal turbines in such spots as Deception Pass and Admiralty Inlet.

It envisions as many as 1,662 turbines on the bottom of Puget Sound, according to permit applications filed with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).

The turbines would be staggered in rows to catch the strongest, most consistent currents. Most would be 100 feet tall with blades as large as 66 feet in diameter.

That many turbines could possibly generate 100 megawatts of electricity — enough for 60,000 homes, proponents say.

Snohomish County might be a leader in developing such energy, said Steve Klein, the PUD's general manager.

"We [could be] the Starbucks or Boeing of tidal power," he said.

For now, the PUD is just seeking to study the economic and environmental feasibility of tidal power. The permits to do that are pending with FERC.

"I wouldn't want anybody to think we're hellbent on making this happen," said Craig Collar, hired in November to lead the utility's tidal-energy program. "We're not."

Since April, when energy experts identified potential sites for tidal power in the United States and Canada, energy companies have filed for permits to study key sites, including several in Puget Sound.

A number of environmental groups, especially those concerned with sea life, have concerns.

"I support alternative energy, but there are some real problems with tidal energy, both in terms of sound, as well as the physical disturbance in the water," said Susan Berta of the Orca Network, which tracks killer whales.

While the Tulalip Tribes are staying neutral for now, Daryl Williams, tribal environmental liaison, worries that turbine fields could also harm salmon and whales.

"It's purely guesswork, but 1,000 turbines could look like a big fence to the whales," he said, adding that tidal-energy impacts would need to be studied also in areas like Hood Canal, where oxygen levels are already low.

The Snohomish County PUD won't pursue the project if it harms endangered sea life, Klein said.

But it would be foolish to ignore the potential, PUD Commissioner Dave Aldrich said.