Power from Tides.

Franklin Times, Volume XXV, Issue 143, 9 December 1935, Page 5

Power from Tides.

AMERICAN ENTERPRISE. a i‘7.ofio.'non scheme. •Work has been started on a huge dam to trap the 28 feet sides of Passornnijuoddy Bay, in the State of Maine, to provide cheap electricity says a correspondent of the Sunday Times. s The work will cost about 36.000,000 dollars '£7.200.000), and will provide work for about 6000 men for two and a-half years. Tt is being 'financed from the 4,000.000(000 dollars (£BO,000.000 ) fund voted for relief works.

Passamaquoddy Ray. which is close to President Roosevelt's summer residence. was chosen because of its unusually high tides, which sometimes rise to iO feet, says the British United Press. Uni fell States Army engineers will have charge of the project, which is designed to develop 100,00(1 horsepower and produce 3,000,000,000 kilo-watt-hours ann ua 1 ly. The dam will hold up the tides at their flood and release the pent-up water to work the huge generators. This is the first time that tidal power lias been drawn ’upon for providing electrical power. When the plan was first put forward the Administration rejected it on the ground that the only market for power on a large scale was Boston, 200 miles away. Engineers now have plans for constructing an aluminium works to utilise fhe electricity and to pipe fche water to industrial areas. Farmers will benefit from the cheap electrical power, / and it is anticipated that members of small industrial concerns will he attracted by the prospect of cheap power.