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(NaturalNews) The Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), the Golden Gate Energy Company and the City and County of San Francisco have signed an agreement to conduct a comprehensive study into the feasibility of tide-generated power in the San Francisco Bay.

The study has already begun, with the initial phases expected to last approximately one year. According to a PG&E press release, the study will assess the energy-generating potential of the bay; existing and emerging technologies for transforming tidal motion into electricity; the costs, benefits and economic feasibility of such generation; and any potential environmental impacts of this type of power.

Environmentalists have expressed concern that massive ocean turbines could harm sea life.

The San Francisco Bay has been identified as a prime location for tidal energy generation. "The Golden Gate is the biggest and best site in the lower 48 states," said Roger Bedard of the Electric Power Research Institute "When the tide's going out, the whole Northern California watershed all flows through."

"It's the best site we have," said Mike Hoover, president of Golden Gate Energy, which holds exclusive federal regulatory permits for studying tidal power in the bay. "It's got enormous tides in a narrow passageway and it's offshore a massive metropolitan area with a progressive city."

PG&E has committed $1.5 million to fund the research, and the City and County of San Francisco has pledged $346,000 for feasibility studies and outreach to "stakeholders."

"If the findings in the initial rounds of research affirm the feasibility and promise of tidal power, future plans could ultimately lead to the development of a full-scale commercial product," PG&E said in a press release.

Such plans would require regulatory review and approval by the government. For this reason, the companies and governments involved in the project estimate any large-scale power generation to be at least three to five years in the future.

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