The Mowachaht/Muchalaht First Nation (MMFN) has chosen CalWave as the technology provider for a wave energy project in Yuquot, British Columbia, Canada. Located on Nootka Island just off the west coast of Vancouver Island, Yuquot has been the traditional home of the MMFN for thousands of years and was once a thriving center of fish and fur trading.
The Indigenous-led project is funded by a grant from TD Bank Group and the Clean Energy in Rural and Remote Communities Program within Natural Resources Canada. The consortium of partners includes The Pacific Research Institute for Marine Energy Discovery (PRIMED) at the University of Victoria, Barkley Project Group, Canpac Marine Services, and Environmental Dynamics Inc. This project is a groundbreaking initiative for coastal community microgrids and could serve as a model for other coastal communities along the North American Pacific Coast and globally.
CalWave, a California-based wave energy technology developer, is leading the project. The company successfully demonstrated its first open-ocean system off the coast of San Diego in 2021 and 2022 and is contracted by the DOE to deploy its first utility grid-connected system at the 20 MW PacWave test site off the central Oregon coast. The goal of this project is to transform Yuquot into a center for innovation in community development and clean energy while reclaiming their land and rebuilding their community.