About

What is OREC? The Ocean Renewable Energy Coalition (OREC) is a 501(c)(6) trade association (status pending) formed in April 2005 to promote and advance commercialization of marine renewables in the United States. Our organization embraces a wide range of renewable technologies, including wave, tidal, current, offshore wind, ocean thermal, marine biomass and all other technologies that utilize renewable resources from oceans, tidal areas and other unimpounded water bodies to produce electricity, desalinized water, hydrogen, mariculture and other by products. OREC was founded by Sean O’Neill and Carolyn Elefant.
Located in the Washington D.C. area, OREC takes advantage of its close proximity to Congress, as well as regulatory agencies such as Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and Mineral Management Service to lobby effectively on behalf of the marine renewable industry and to participate in formation of regulatory policies that will expedite commercialization of new technologies. We also work closely with the financial and investment community to ensure that the policies that we advocate will have the effect of attracting private investment and making marine renewables competitive at market.

Who is part of OREC? Since its formation, OREC has grown to thirty five members, including pioneer marine renewables developers, utilities, law firms, consultants, vendors and investor owned and public utilities. Our members to date (as of January 2008) are:

Alden Research Laboratory, Inc.
Battery Ventures
Central Lincoln People’s Utility District
Chadbourne & Park, LLP
Current to Current
Devine Tarbell Associates
Ecology & Environment, Inc.
Florida Atlantic University
Heller Ehrman, LLP
Hydro Green Energy
Kleinschmidt
Long Island Power Authority
Marine Renewable Energy Laboratory, University of Michigan
Massachusetts Municipal Wholesale Electric Company
Millbank Tweed Hadley & McCloy, LLP
Ocean Power Technologies
Open Hydro (Ireland)
Ocean Renewable Power Company
Ocean Wave Energy Company
Oregon Ironworks
Pacific Gas & Electric Company
Pierce Atwood, LLP
Pelamis Wave Power Limited (Scotland)
Puget Sound Energy
Reluminati
RenewableEnergyAccess.com
Resolute Marine Energy, Inc
SAIC
Scott M. Lindsay Consulting
Scottish Development International
Simmons & Company International
SMI, Inc.
Snohomish Public Utility District
The Stella Group
Stoel Rives, LLP
Tacoma Power
University of Massachusetts - Dartmouth
Verdant Power
Wavebob, Ltd. (Ireland)
WaveStar Energy (Denmark)
Yakutat Power

Strategic Partners

Massachusetts Municipal Wholesale Electric Company
Northwest Public Power Association
RenewableEnergyAccess.com

How does OREC operate? OREC is a membership driven organization pursuing the priorities and goals of its members. Sean O’Neill serves as President to OREC, and also maintains a public relations firm, Symmetrix. O’Neill is a twenty year veteran in the field of public relations and corporate communications, who has spearheaded communications and siting campaigns for major public utilities.

Carolyn Elefant serves as General and Regulatory Counsel to OREC and brings with her fifteen years of energy experience in the marine renewables field. Outside of OREC, Ms. Elefant runs a Washington D.C. based law practice, the Law Offices of Carolyn Elefant, specializing in energy regulatory matters before FERC, state commissions and federal courts, emerging renewable development, and civil litigation. Ms. Elefant writes about marine and renewable energy trends at the Offshore Renewables Law Blog.