Tanana River

In the waters of the fast-flowing Tanana River near the small town of Nenana, Alaska, ORPC is licensing a site to develop and test our RivGen™ Power System. In collaboration with the people of Nenana, we handpicked this site for its superior river currents as well as the invaluable resources of its surrounding community: a thriving barge industry, road and railway access, and the nearby University of Alaska Fairbanks. The Nenana community, eager to adopt a clean, renewable, and cost-efficient power system, has been a strong supporter of our efforts at every step of the process. Partnering with us to carry out this first-of-a-kind project are the Alaska Hydrokinetic Energy Research Center at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the City of Nenana, and the Nenana Native Council. The work and expertise required to install, test, and maintain the RivGen™ Power System promises to create new local jobs as well as support dozens of existing ones.

Ultimately, we hope that our technology’s success at Nenana will translate to better energy choices and a healthier economy for remote coastal and river communities all across Alaska who still rely on diesel-electric grids to power their homes and businesses, at some of the highest energy costs in the nation. ORPC power system technology will allow these communities to make the much-needed shift from polluting, high-cost diesel to locally sourced, emission-free, affordable tidal and river energy.

Cook Inlet

Boasting the second highest tidal range in the world (the Bay of Fundy, also the site of an ORPC project, has the highest), Alaska’s Cook Inlet is an outstanding resource for tidal energy. ORPC is currently obtaining the necessary FERC license to install and test a group of power systems at our Cook Inlet site near Fire Island, off the coast of Anchorage. ORPC’s power systems will connect directly to the Alaskan Railbelt grid, which supplies the city of Anchorage and the majority of Alaska’s population with electricity.

Anchorage and the Alaskan Railbelt grid currently rely on Cook Inlet natural gas for most of their power. If this continues, experts predict that the region will deplete its natural gas reserves as early as 2022. ORPC’s Cook Inlet project will provide a much-needed alternate energy source, generating clean, renewable power to supplement natural gas. It will also create new local jobs and sustain existing ones. Our project has received enthusiastic support and assistance from the Anchorage community, including the Anchorage Economic Development Corporation, the Renewable Energy Alaska Project, the Alaska Center for Energy and Power, the University of Alaska Anchorage, and numerous local businesses and non-profits.

Through ORPC’s commitment to protecting marine life, we have also earned the cooperation of regulatory agencies and environmental groups. A special concern in the Cook Inlet project is that local beluga whales, recently listed as endangered, inhabit the waters of northern Cook Inlet near our permit area. In 2009, the U.S. Department of Energy awarded ORPC a $600,000 grant to monitor these whales with state-of-the-art passive hydroacoustic technology. This will allow us to ensure the safety and wellbeing of this protected whale population as the project continues.

For Alaska, the success of ORPC’s Cook Inlet project will signal an exciting future of energy independence. The state possesses 95% of the country’s total tidal power potential—estimated at an astounding 109 TWh per year—and with the increased distribution of ORPC power systems, much of Alaska will be able to depend on clean, renewable, affordable tidal energy.