Oregon Territorial Sea Planning

The State of Oregon is currently developing a Comprehensive Plan for the siting of renewable ocean energy projects in its Territorial Sea. As a formal stakeholder in the process, the Surfrider Foundation is conducting an Oregon Non-consumptive Recreational Use Study in partnership with Ecotrust, Natural Equity, and several state agencies. The study will provide high-quality spatially explicit information that is needed to inform marine spatial planning efforts within Oregon's marine waters. Data collection will focus on non-consumptive recreational use and related trip expenditures along Oregon's coast and Territorial Sea (state waters; 3 nautical miles). Activities to be surveyed include: water sports (e.g. surfing, diving, kayaking) beach going, wildlife viewing, and boating (e.g. motoring, sailing). This project is intended to help the state minimize potential effects to ocean recreation in Oregon. For more information, please visit Surfrider's Oregon website and the state's Territorial Sea Planning website

Wave Energy Scales Up Off Scotland

Leading edge: This buoyancy tube is the top edge of a 194-ton hinging device that converts wave energy into 315 kilowatts of electricity. Credit: Aquamarine Power


Scotland hopes to ride the next renewable energy wave. Site leases for several big wave and tidal power projects were awarded last week by the U.K. government, concluding a two-year bidding process that elicited strong interest from major utilities and energy entrepreneurs. The awards open the way for six wave energy projects and four tidal energy systems around Scotland's Orkney Islands that could collectively generate up to 1.2 gigawatts, exceeding the U.K.'s 700-megawatt target for the bidding round. This is an immense scale for an industry that so far has installed only pilot projects involving a handful of small devices.

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