The Nova Scotia government is committing more than $4 million to fund projects in the tidal industry, Energy Minister Andrew Younger announced March 28.
The funding will go towards increasing the electrical capacity at Fundy Ocean Research Center for Energy (FORCE) to accommodate up to 20 MW of connected generation. This will allow the next level of device deployments, including small arrays, to connect to the electricity grid from FORCE.
Government also announced the tidal energy developers who have won a chance to deploy their technologies in the Bay of Fundy’s Minas Passage. Nova Scotia’s recent tender for FORCE berths attracted three qualified bidders. OpenHydro and Black Rock Tidal Power have been chosen to participate at the research and development centre.
“We are pleased to welcome OpenHydro and Black Rock Tidal Power and their innovative technologies to Nova Scotia, a global centre of excellence for tidal energy development,” said Mr. Younger.
The projects use local suppliers in areas such as engineering, marine fabrication and marine operations, which helps them develop expertise they can then export to global markets. A group led by OpenHydro, with parent company DCNS Group of France and Maritime companies Emera, Atlantic Towing, Irving Shipbuilding and Irving Equipment, has been selected as a FORCE berth holder.
“OpenHydro has a long-established relationship with Emera and we’re looking forward to a continued partnership with a company that shares our vision of tidal energy,” said Thierry Kalanquin, executive chair of OpenHydro. “OpenHydro is proud to be the first technology installed in the Bay of Fundy, and we remain convinced of the potential of the region as a major source of clean, renewable energy.
Minas Energy, an existing berth holder, also announced a new partnership with Bluewater to create an advanced flotation system to deploy Siemens turbines in the Bay of Fundy.
“Minas Energy is confident that our partnership with Siemens and Bluewater will help set the stage for the emerging tidal energy industry in Nova Scotia,” said John Woods, vice-president of energy development for Minas Energy. “We look forward to working with the other berth holders, government and the public at large as we learn to harness this world-class resource.”
Nova Scotia’s tidal energy market has advanced significantly in recent months, the government said, including a new provincial feed-in tariff, a tidal research memorandum of understanding with the United Kingdom, and successfully deploying a sub-sea cable. The first devices are expected to be in place in 2015.
Nova Scotia will welcome tidal energy leaders from around the world this November when it hosts the first International Conference on Ocean Energy to be held in North America.