Wave Energy Farm Irks Surfers, Fishermen

A proposal to build thousands of wave energy generators off the coast of Southern California has environmentalists, fishermen and surfers up in arms.

1 minute read

April 3, 2011, 7:00 AM PDT

By Nate Berg


"Federal energy regulators have given JD Products of Fountain Valley permission to begin a three-year study looking at the feasibility of installing thousands of ocean wave electricity generators a mile off San Onofre State Beach.

The firm's general manager, Chong Hun Kim, said he chose the site because it is close to transmission lines that serve the San Onofre nuclear power plant. Kim said he hopes to connect offshore generators to the power grid through underwater cables and sell power to the plant's operator, Southern California Edison.

The idea would be to connect the wave farm to San Onofre's transmission lines without going through the nuclear power plant, which has been under added scrutiny in light of Japan's massive tsunami and radiation crisis."

Surfers, conservationists and fishermen are all voicing concerns over the project.

Friday, April 1, 2011 in Los Angeles Times

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