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look at both offshore winds, offshore geothermal, waves, currents, 

 and OTEC, all overlaid on a single map. 



It should allow us to decide which resource is most appropriate 

 and most cost effective for which demand and need in a given 

 geographic area around the United States. It looks as though the 

 geothermal source will run all the way from Baja California up to 

 the State of Washington, north of the State of Washington, and on 

 the eastern coast all the way from Norfolk, Va., up to Canada as 

 well as through the gulf. The extent to which the technology will 

 allow us to tap it I just can't tell you that. 



Mr. Studds. How far offshore are we talking? 



Mr. Richards. It varies, sir. Sometimes it can be as much as 1 

 mile, 2 miles, 3 miles offshore, sometimes as much as 50 to 100 

 miles. It varies considerably. 



Mr. Studds. Is the geothermal assessment component of this 

 study being done with, among other things, the possibility of using 

 the OTEC kind of technology to take advantage of that resource? 



Mr. Richards. Absolutely, sir. The reason we got into it in the 

 first place is that we took a look at a decision which said if a 

 geothermal well, is drilled, and the temperature is below some- 

 thing like 90° or 100° centigrade, it should be capped 90° or 100° 

 worth of heat to OTEC technology is like gold because it almost 

 triples its efficiency. 



There is also the opportunity that it could cut down on the 

 amount of cable runs that we need to deliver the electricity to 

 land. 



Mr. Studds. Why would that be? 



Mr. Richards. In the Gulf of Mexico it would not be 120 miles 

 out from land, but only be 5 or 10 miles. In New England there is 

 no other OTEC operation that I am aware of other than possibly an 

 inverse OTEC. 



Mr. Studds. We don't want to be premature, but that has the 

 potential of expanding the impact of OTEC dramatically beyond 

 the warmer areas of the country that we were thinking of solely 

 before? 



Mr. Richards. Yes, sir. 



Mr. Studds. Opening up even New England for the possible 

 technology? 



Mr. Richards. Yes, sir. OTEC is primarily a way to extract 

 energy from any low temperature difference. It doesn't matter if it 

 comes from geothermal, a bottoming cycle or the natural heat of 

 the ocean. 



Mr. Studds. That is very exciting. I am glad we ended on that 

 and not on tidal. That is indeed enormously exciting it seems to me 

 if indeed you are correct and there seems to be a consensus with 

 respect to OTEC being the most immediately promising in regard 

 to the various technologies in the ocean. 



Dr. Katz. The prevailing factors on the geothermal OTEC so- 

 called will be the amount of the resource and the cost to get at it. 



Mr. Studds. I take it from what you have said at this point that 

 in all the variety of areas in which your concern is focused, you do 

 not at this point see the need for statutory or legislative changes of 

 any kind or initiatives? 



Dr. Katz. Not at this point. 



