Nova Scotia is giving developers of electricity generators powered by ocean tides the opportunity to demonstrate their technology.
The province on Canada's Atlantic coast will make permits available for demonstration projects with capacity of up to 5 MW. The program, which is limited to a total of 10 MW of capacity, will allow developers to sell power into the provincial grid.
Nova Scotia already has a grid-connected, in-stream tidal turbine in its electricity network, the 2-MW Cape Sharp Tidal generator owned by Ireland-headquartered developer OpenHydro Group Ltd. and Emera Inc.'s Nova Scotia Power Inc., which came online in late 2016. The generator is located in the Minas Passage of the Bay of Fundy. The new permits are part of the province's Marine Renewable Energy Act, which went into effect Jan. 24.
"Tidal energy has enormous potential to create more opportunities in rural areas, while addressing our climate change goals," Nova Scotia Energy Minister Geoff MacLellan said in a statement. "These permits will help us stay at the forefront of this rapidly changing industry by finding ways to address technical challenges while lowering the cost of tidal energy."
Proponents of projects more than 2 MW in capacity will have to obtain an environmental assessment approval before proceeding and be responsible for getting all other necessary permits and approvals before installing their turbines.
The Cape Sharp project went ahead despite opposition from fishermen and environmental groups who went to court in a bid to stop it. The provincial government estimates as much as 7,000 MW could be generated at Minas Passage. Nova Scotia is aggressively promoting renewable energy projects as it tries to wean itself off coal-fired generation to comply with federal government regulations.
