Indigenous-led Wave Energy Project in Yuquot: Reclaiming Land and Achieving Energy Independence

A wave energy project in Yuquot, British Columbia, Canada, has chosen CalWave as its technology provider. Located on Nootka Island just off the west coast of Vancouver Island, Yuquot has been the traditional home of the Mowachaht/Muchalaht First Nation (MMFN) for thousands of years. The community was once a thriving center of fish and fur trading until most residents were relocated to Vancouver Island in the late 20th century.

The MMFN is now working to reclaim their land, rebuild their community, and utilize the power of the North Pacific waves to help fuel their new microgrid and achieve energy independence. The Indigenous-led project, funded by a grant from TD Bank Group and the Clean Energy in Rural and Remote Communities Program within Natural Resources Canada, involves a consortium of partners across Canada, including The Pacific Research Institute for Marine Energy Discovery (PRIMED) at the University of Victoria, Barkley Project Group, Canpac Marine Services, and Environmental Dynamics Inc.

CalWave, a California-based wave energy technology developer, is leading the project. The company was awarded the Wave Energy Prize by the U.S. Department of Energy in 2016 and has secured multiple R&D contracts from the DOE Water Power Technologies Office. CalWave 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.

This project is a groundbreaking initiative for coastal community microgrids and could serve as a model for other coastal communities along