Natural Currents New England, LLC (Natural Currents) will install a test tidal turbine at the Cape Cod Canal after receiving permission from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which controls the canal. The company has already received a preliminary permit from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for the test turbine in November 2007.

We feel it would have to go through our real estate folks and our navigational folks, Timothy Duggan a spokesman for the Corps said.

Natural Currents President Roger Bason said that if the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approves what is called a pilot license, which is expected to be filed by June 9, 2009 the company could begin installing a tidal turbine late this year or early next year.

The pilot license allows the turbine to generate electricity and tie into the grid, which would be a major step for a hydrokinetic project. The licenses are issued for five years.

The turbine proposed for the canal is capable of generating megawatts of electricity, although an exact size has not been determined, Bason said.

One megawatt can power 400 to 500 homes, Bason said.

To obtain a pilot license, a project must be under 5 megawatts, said Celeste Miller, a spokeswoman for Federal Energy Regulatory Commission said.

There are adequate reviews for stakeholders, Bason said.

Cape Cod Canal is an ideal location because it’s just 25 minutes from the company’s headquarters, Bason said. It’s a demonstration location to grow out our industry, he said.

The canal is of particular interest because its current changes direction every six hours and can reach speeds of up to 5.2 miles per hour, Duggan said.

The canal project is one of a dozen projects across the country being pursued by Natural Currents, said Bason.

The company was also issued a preliminary permit on December 30, 2008 to test a 100-kilowatt tidal turbine off Cuttyhunk and the Elizabeth Islands in Buzzards Bay.

A preliminary permit gives the company priority over the site for the next three years, Miller said. They must issue reports every three months to ensure that they are continuing the study, she said.

The company was working closely with the Marine Renewable Energy Center located at the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth and with Bristol Community College to retrain people in the marine energy field, Bason said.