Energy issues topic of forum in Eastport Florida firm plans tidal project

EASTPORT – Tidal power could mean new jobs, lower electric rates and new businesses in the area if three proposed projects get off the ground.

Tidal power issues and more will be discussed from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the Boat School on Deep Cove Road. The Cobscook Bay Resource Center will host the forum.

“The forum provides an opportunity for area residents and summer visitors to hear brief presentations of tidal power plans and, for those who attended the Cobscook Bay Conference last March, a chance to hear reports on recent progress,” the group said in a prepared release.

Three projects have been proposed to generate electricity using tidal power in the Cobscook region.

The Florida-based Ocean Renewable Power Co. is proposing to place a submersible prototype turbine in the Western Passage. In February, the company received a $300,000 development award from the Maine Technology Institute. The company wants to tap into the energy of the ocean to create “emission-free electricity” in the waters near Eastport.

The Passamaquoddy Tribe is studying possible sites in the bay off their reservation at Pleasant Point. Last year, armed with $97,000 in federal money, the tribe kicked off a plan to look at a tidal power project.

The third venture, proposed by Tidewalker Associates of Trescott, would build a 1,200-foot dam and power facility at Half Moon Cove on Cobscook Bay in Perry. Engineer Normand Laberge proposed the idea last year. Laberge’s proposed site is between Eastport and Perry, once the location of a toll bridge connecting Moose Island in Eastport to the mainland at Perry, the Bangor Daily News has reported.

Participants at the meeting will have an opportunity to discuss the costs and benefits of tidal power to Cobscook communities including: the possible impact of each project on fisheries, aquaculture, boat traffic and marine mammals; the potential to create new jobs; and the possibility of attracting new businesses to the area.

A light lunch will be available at the forum. There is no fee, but donations are accepted.

Those people who plan to attend and want lunch should contact the Cobscook Bay Resource Center at 853-6607, or e-mail cobscook@verizon.net.

For more information, visit www.cobscook.org.