concept of a submerged nuclear power plant is 
shown in Figure 68. 
Figure 68. Artist’s concept of submerged nu- 
clear power plant. (Westinghouse photo) 
B. Power from Ocean Energy 
1. Tidal Power 
a. Current Status The concept of harnessing tides 
as a commercial source of electrical power has 
been studied by several countries in close proxim- 
ity to large tidal channels, specifically in France, 
Australia, Siberia, Canada, and the United States. 
One example dramatizing feasibility of such a 
project is the International Passamaquoddy Tidal 
Power Project (Figure 69) between Maine and New 
Brunswick. 
(1.) Passamaquoddy An eminent American engi- 
neer, Dexter P. Cooper, proposed a plant in 1919 
to harness the high tides in the Passamaquoddy 
area. Electric power was to be generated by 
building dams and sluiceways in the openings into 
the Bay of Fundy and a powerhouse between 
Passamaquoddy Bay and Cobscook Bay. The 
proposal lay dormant until 1956 when the Inter- 
national Passamaquoddy Engineering Board was 
appointed jointly by Canada and the United 
States. The board determined that a tidal power 
project could be built and operated in the Passa- 
maquoddy area and that a two-pool arrangement 
was best suited for the site and water conditions of 
Passamaquoddy and Cobscook Bays. (Figure 69.) 
In April 1961 the International Joint Commis- 
sion (IJC) declared that the Passamaquoddy Tidal 
VI-216 
Power Project was not economically feasible under 
present conditions. However, the IJC said that the 
combination of the Passamaquoddy Tidal Power 
Project with incremental capacity at Rauben 
Rapids on the Upper St. John appeared feasible. In 
May 1961, the Secretary of the Interior was 
requested by the President to review and evaluate 
the report. 
In December 1961, the Passamaquoddy Upper 
St. John Study Committee of the Department of 
Interior had a load-and-resources study made in 
the New Brunswick, Canada-New England areas 
(Figure 70). Its study clearly indicated that the 
Passamaquoddy Tidal Power Project would be 
feasible if developed as a peaking power plant sized 
for 1,000 megawatts instead of 300 megawatts as 
studied in the IJC report. This is consistent with 
current practices in the electric utility industry 
that tends increasingly to use large thermal con- 
ventional nuclear electric generating units to meet 
the base load and to use conventional and 
pumped-storage hydroelectric power to meet peak 
demands. The study concluded that the project 
was economically feasible (benefit-cost or B/C 
ratio of 1.27/1.0) and should be initiated. 
In order to validate the recommendations, a 
review of power values used in the Department of 
the Interior report was made by the Federal Power 
Commission at the request of the Bureau of the 
Budget. Due to the then-lower power values 
published, the benefit-cost (B/C) ratio dropped 
from 1.27/1 to 0.89/1. As a result, further action 
on the project was stopped. 
(2.) Other Tidal Developments The only actual 
development for tidal electric power under full- 
scale construction is the LaRance Tidal Project in 
France, the largest such project in the world. It has 
an initial power installation of 240 megawatts in 
24 turbine sets and could have an ultimate 
installation of 320 megawatts. It represents the 
continued effort of French engineers over a 
20-year period to harness the tides at San Malo 
where ideal conditions exist—a narrow estuary 
with a tidal range of 13% meters (about 44 feet). 
The LaRance Tidal Project is operated for peaking 
capacity or energy. Since the units are reversible, 
the project is designed to take maximum advan- 
tage of the flood and ebb tides to supply power to 
the French electric system. 
