ORCAS POWER & LIGHT COOPERATIVE (OPALCO) IS A MEMBER-OWNED, NON-PROFIT ENERGY COOPERATIVE THAT DISTRIBUTES ENERGY TO 20 ISLANDS IN THE SAN JUAN ISLANDS AND WILL SERVE AS THE PROJECT LEAD AND SITE DEVELOPER. THE OPALCO TIDAL ENERGY PROJECT IN THE ROSARIO STRAIT PLANS TO DEVELOP A PILOT DEMONSTRATION SITE AND INSTALL ONE 2 MW TIDAL POWER GENERATOR THAT MEETS CURRENT LOCAL, STATE, AND FEDERAL REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS. THE OVERALL OBJECTIVE OF THIS PROJECT IS TO PERFORM THE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT (R&D) ACTIVITIES THAT ARE NEEDED TO DEMONSTRATE COMMERCIAL VIABILITY, ENABLING THE PILOT DEMONSTRATION SITE TO BE TRANSITIONED INTO A COMMERCIAL PROJECT THAT CONTINUES OPERATION AND PROVIDES OPPORTUNITIES FOR FURTHER DEVELOPMENT OF THE DEMONSTRATION SITE INTO A LARGE (> 5 MW), GRID CONNECTED TIDAL ENERGY PROJECT. IN PHASE 1/ BP1, THE PROJECT TEAM WILL FULLY CHARACTERIZE THE SITE, WHICH WILL INVOLVE PHYSICAL AND DESK TOP DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS. R&D IN THIS PHASE IS TO INFORM AND UNDERSTAND THE INTERACTIONS BETWEEN THE ONSHORE, OFFSHORE ENVIRONMENT AND THE TECHNOLOGY, THEREBY IMPROVING CONFIDENCE IN THE LEVEL OF RISK ASSOCIATED WITH THESE INTERACTIONS. PLANS AND SCHEDULES WILL BE DEVELOPED FOR LICENSING AND ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING, SITE HEALTH AND SAFETY, STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT, COMMUNITY BENEFITS, SUPPLY CHAIN PROCUREMENT AND FINALLY TECHNOLOGY SELECTION AND QUALIFICATION. THIS PHASE WILL CULMINATE IN A FEDERAL ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION (FERC) DRAFT HYDROKINETIC LICENSE APPLICATION SUBMISSION. A COMPETITIVE DOWN-SELECT WILL BE HELD AT THE CONCLUSION OF PHASE 1/BP1 WHERE THE PROJECT TEAM WILL PRESENT THE PROJECT GOALS, PROGRESS, AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS TO-DATE TO THE WATER POWER TECHNOLOGIES OFFICE (WPTO). IF THIS PROJECT IS SELECTED, SUBSEQUENT PHASES WILL BE AS FOLLOWS: - PHASE 2: DETAILED SITE CHARACTERIZATION - PHASE 3: SITE MOBILIZATION - PHASE 4: SITE COMMISSIONING AND TECHNOLOGY FABRICATION - PHASE 5: TESTING AND OPERATIONS