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New Jersey-based wave energy company is one step closer to dropping 10 power-generating buoys off the Oregon Coast near Reedsport.

The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality announced on Wednesday that it recommends granting Section 401 certification for what would be (Section 401 certification is required as part of the federal Clean Water Act to make sure federally approved activities meet water quality standards). by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and it is scheduled to go in the ocean next summer.

The first buoy is “just floating as a test buoy,” said Marilyn Fonseca with the DEQ water quality division, because of concerns surrounding the project. For instance, some fear that migrating gray whales may injure themselves on the buoys’ transmission lines.

The test buoy only requires a permit from the corps, but the other nine buoys for corps and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approval to install them and connect them to the grid.

Each buoy should produce a maximum of 150 kilowatts, and the 10 buoys together should produce enough power for roughly 395 homes. The permit application will also allow the site to be expanded to produce up to 50 megawatts in the future.

A public forum will be held to discuss the proposed approval later this month. Public commentary can affect whether the buoys get the certification. A formal public comment period started Oct. 11 and continues through Nov. 14.

Where: Reedsport City Hall, 451 Winchester Ave., in Reedsport
When: 6 p.m., Oct. 25, 2011