Van Ness Feldman client Snohomish County PUD received a long-awaited license by the federal government to construct the world’s first grid-connected, tidal-energy project using underwater turbines to produce electricity.

Snohomish County PUD and Van Ness Feldman partners Matt Love, Mike Swiger, and Julia Wood have been working for years to bring tidal energy to the Northwest. If its pilot is successful, it will be in the forefront of energy technology.

“Tidal energy offers enormous potential as a renewable energy supply. This federal license represents a key milestone in the effort to develop the technology to harness this energy,” said Matt Love. “The Snohomish PUD’s leadership and vision has been instrumental in achieving this milestone.”

“The Admiralty Inlet Project is an innovative attempt to harness previously untapped energy resources,” Acting FERC Chairman Cheryl LaFleur said. “I look forward to the results of the experimental project and congratulate Snohomish for undertaking it.”

The tidal-energy project in Admiralty Inlet is funded by $13 million in grants from the U.S. Department of Energy, Bonneville Power Administration, and federal appropriations.The University of Washington, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Sound & Sea Technology, and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory are also partners in the project.