2007 CBC Passamaquoddy Tribe Presentation
View Steve Crawford's Presentation as .pdf
Steve Crawford, Director of the Environmental Department of the Pleasant Point Passamaquoddy Tribe, explained that the tribal approach to energy production is to provide a service to the community. The Tribe is currently involved in assessing the possibilities for energy production through wind power and tidal power. They currently have funding through the Bureau of Indian Affairs for $200,000 and the EPA for $20,000 for their energy development projects.
The Tribe is assessing the viability of generating commercial electricity through wind power on their lands in Township19. The site has Class Three winds, so it does qualify as a commercially viable site. Wind power development in Maine is limited by the transmission line, which only allows for transmission of 50 megawatts. While the site has a 130 megawatt capacity, development will be limited to 25 turbines.
Crawford said that the Tribe has submitted an application to FERC to locate tidal power structures at two sites in the region, but that they have shifted their focus from the sites listed in the FERC application to two new sites. The first new site is located just off the reservation, near First Island. The second new site is just north of Kendall Head in Western Passage.
The First Island site is close to the Tribe’s sewage treatment plant, which is the highest user of electricity on the reservation. The purpose of this site would be to place a 10’diameter in-current unit at the location, which would generate 12,000 kilowatts/month and provide power to the sewer treatment plant. The treatment plant currently uses about 13,000 kilowatts/month, so that installation might provide 92% of the power needed by the treatment plant.
The Tribe is working with UEK Corporation to develop their tidal power project. UEK was established in 1980. UEK has projects under development in Alaska, Switzerland, Manitoba, North Dakota, and Zambia. UEK has also been chosen to develop a project in the Bay of Fundy.
The technology that the Tribe is considering using only weighs 30 pounds under water. This means that maintenance can be performed by a diver. The design of the equipment is such that a screen is placed in front of the unit to keep fish from swimming into it. The depth of the equipment is controllable. The site would be identified by buoys.
In addition to powering the sewage treatment plant, the Tribe is considering different approaches to power generation and distribution. A bill currently before the Legislature, LD229, would allow the Tribe to form a power district similar to a municipality and float bonds to finance the project. Under this plan a Passamaquoddy Power Company could generate up to 5 megawatt for local use; over 5 megawatt would go into the ISO New England power grid. The Tribe would then act as an “aggregator,” selling power generated from the wind farm and from tidal power to people in the local communities. With the Tribe generating the electricity, each individual household would then have an opportunity to choose to purchase this power. This approach is similar to that used by the Maine Interfaith Power and Light Company, who offer “green” power to consumers throughout Maine.
Crawford concluded by pointing out that, at present, existing transmission lines do not have capacity large enough to carry the power that could be generated.