MAINE MONITOR • April 24, 2022
Anyone who has plied the waters of the Western Passage between Eastport and Deer Island, New Brunswick, knows the Old Sow. One of the world’s most powerful whirlpools, the currents and eddies (or “piglets”) have been known to shoot upwellings that rock even the sturdiest of vessels. Those currents may be treacherous for mariners but could be perfect for tidal energy. That’s the thinking of Maine-based Ocean Renewable Power Co., which plans to install a tidal generating device in the area as part of a microgrid that will serve as backup power for the city of Eastport. If all goes according to plan, the full-scale device, which looks a bit like a giant DNA double helix anchored to the ocean floor, would be installed by 2025, just east of Dog Island, as long as the company can secure permits from state and federal agencies.