Ocean Renewable Power Company Inc. has submitted a revised preliminary permit application to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for the Buffalo-Niagara Hydrokinetic Project (P-15329).
The revised preliminary permit application was submitted to FERC on Jan. 22, in response to a deficiency letter issued Jan. 9.
The site for the project is near Buffalo in Erie County, N.Y. ORPC said the site, on the Niagara River, will feature a river current power generation facility consisting of an array of river power devices installed at locations and depths that will not interfere with navigation (to be determined in consultation with area stakeholders).
The Niagara River forms the international border between the U.S. and Canada. The proposed project area features strong currents, making it very suitable for hydrokinetic power generation. Velocity in the proposed project boundary area peaks at over 2 m/s and falls within ORPC’s ideal operation thresholds for the RivGen Power System and Modular RivGen® Power System.
ORPC plans to develop a site with a capacity of 5 MW, with project implementation phased over time. There are no dams, spillways, penstocks, powerhouses, tailraces, or other structures within or near the proposed project area or that would be constructed as part of this project.
ORPC estimates that 60 RivGen devices operating at velocities of 3.5 m/s would result in annual energy production of up to 42,050 MWh. Exact annual energy production — considering site specific flow speeds, device types, and number of devices — will be evaluated over the course of the preliminary permit.
Although microgrid use cases will likely be evaluated, ORPC said it anticipates that the proposed project would likely interconnect to the National Grid network available on Unity Island.
The purpose of a preliminary permit is to preserve the rights of the permit holder to have the first priority in applying for a license for the project that is being studied. A preliminary permit does not authorize the permittee to access lands and does not authorize the permittee to undertake any land-disturbing activities. Permit conditions are framed to ensure the permittee does not tie up a site without pursuing in good faith a study of the project’s feasibility. If the project is found to be feasible, the permittee can use the data and information gathered to prepare an application for a license.