Maine Regulators Pave Way for US Tidal Power

FILE - In this June 13, 2011 file photo, the Energy Tide 2, the largest tidal energy turbine ever deployed in the U.S., appears on a barge in Portland, Maine. The Maine Public Utilities Commission, on Tuesday, April 24, 2012, set contract terms and directed three utilities to negotiate with the company, Ocean Renewable Power Co., to put electricity onto the grid this summer.  Robert F. Bukaty / AP Photo

by David Sharp - Associated Press - miamiherald.com - April 24, 2012

PORTLAND, Maine -- Maine regulators on Tuesday put three utilities on the path to distribute electricity harnessed from tides at the nation's eastern tip, a key milestone in a bid to turn the natural rise and fall of ocean levels into power.

The Maine Public Utilities Commission set terms for a contract that would be in place for 20 years. The regulators also directed the three utilities to negotiate with Ocean Renewable Power Co. to put electricity onto the grid this summer, the first long-term power purchase agreements for tidal energy in the United States.

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