Pacific Gas and Electric

In what could be a major step forward for alternative electric power generation for the region, Pacific Gas & Electric is preparing to seek approval to study a future wave energy project located off the California coast near Vandenberg Air Force Base.


The project, which could take years to make operational, would generate as much as 100 megawatts of power, providing permanent non-fossil-fueled electricity for the base, one of the largest employers in Santa Barbara County. PG&E is expected to seek the permit from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, which has been designated as the umbrella agency for wave energy project approval in the nation.

“We’ve entered into a memorandum of understanding with the Air Force to let us proceed with wave energy in that area if findings are favorable,” said PG&E spokesperson Kory Raftery. At press time, the permit application was expected to be filed on Dec. 11, and information about the project was provided to the Business Times on an embargoed basis.

During recent weeks, officials at PG&E have met with a number of local elected officials, including Santa Barbara County supervisors. They also have held preliminary meetings with environmental groups, including the Surfrider Foundation, according to people familiar with the talks. In addition, PG&E has hired SAIC and CH2Mhill, two large consulting firms, to help with technology and siting issues.

One advantage of locating the project near Vandenberg is that the Air Force base has an existing power grid that can handle a large interconnection. In addition, the base has launch facilities to allow large wave energy devices to be deployed easily into the ocean.

“Unlike other projects, if we get to that point, there would be no need to develop onshore infrastructure,” Raftery said. The 100-megawatt power generating array would be enough to supply Vandenberg and a portion of PG&E’s Santa Barbara County customer base, which includes the city of Santa Maria.

PG&E is publicizing its focus on clean energy development and recently parted ways with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce over climate change policy.

The Tri-Counties is becoming somewhat of a hub for sustainable energy.

Also near Vandenberg, Pacific Renewable Energy Generation, a subsidiary of a Spanish wind energy firm, is moving to build Santa Barbara County’s first large wind installation. Approved by county supervisors in February, the project would build as many as 65 400-foot-tall turbines on ridgelines near the Air Force base. The turbines are expected to generate 97.5 megawatts of energy, enough to power about 40,000 homes, and the electricity will be sold to PG&E through a power purchase agreement.

That project would ask county officials to decide for the first time whether they’re willing to take agricultural land out of production for an energy project.

For its part, the kind of wave power generation proposed for the coast near Vandenberg has been somewhat of a holy grail for clean energy advocates for decades, and there has been some small success with using wave energy devices to power sonar buoys.

Several European countries are aggressively pursuing the technology, but it remains unclear whether large-scale power generation technology will work off either the East or West Coast of the United States.

The goal of the Central Coast project, he said, is to produce reliable electric power with “no significant impact on existing coastal activities.”

With the wave energy permit application, PG&E has two large regulatory undertakings underway for the Central Coast. Earlier this year it filed with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to extend the license of its twin-reactor Diablo Canyon nuclear generating station near San Luis Obispo.

“It’s exciting that our region could set precedent for our country and the world for creating a diverse power supply,” Raftery said.

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Jillian Blake