Tidal turbine deployed in Bay of Fundy

Bay of Fundy tidal turbine operational at FORCE in Minas Passage, rotating with tides to generate renewable ocean energy; OpenHydro and Nova Scotia Power lead deployment, data collection, and testing for commercial in-stream tidal power.

NS Power and its tidal technology partner OpenHydro have successfully deployed the first commercial scale in-stream tidal turbine in the Bay of Fundy.

The one-megawatt commercial scale turbine reached the Fundy Ocean Research Centre for Energy (FORCE) deployment site, in the Minas Passage, on November 12 as the tidal project forges ahead with new infrastructure. The now fully operational turbine is rotating with the tides, collecting data, and producing energy.

"Today begins a very important period of testing that we believe will demonstrate that tidal energy can be part of Nova Scotia's renewable energy future, with progress like the Maritime Link first power milestone underscoring regional integration," said Rob Bennett, President and CEO of Nova Scotia Power. "Working with OpenHydro, we are proud to be the first to deploy and test a commercial scale tidal turbine in the Bay of Fundy and look forward to the learnings ahead."

The turbine's journey from Halifax to the deployment site, located approximately three kilometres off the shore of Black Rock, took 7 days, paralleling the Maritime Link progress that brought the first power cable to Nova Scotia. Once on site, the 400-tonne device was lowered in less than six hours to its intended location on the ocean floor by the purpose-built barge called the OpenHydro Installer. The barge and the deployment method were both designed and developed by OpenHydro.

"Today is an historic first for Nova Scotia," said James Ives, CEO of OpenHydro. "For the first time, thanks to Nova Scotia Power's foresight and OpenHydro's technology, a commercial size in-stream tidal turbine has been successfully deployed in what is undoubtedly one of the world's strongest tidal energy resources."

The turbine now rests on the seabed held in place by a subsea gravity base designed by OpenHydro and fabricated by Cherubini Metal Works, a Dartmouth based company, demonstrating expertise seen in other renewable projects like the wind turbine project at the Ex grounds.

Nova Scotia Power's involvement with this tidal energy test facility is supported by Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC), an arm's-length, not-for-profit corporation created by the Government of Canada that also backs projects such as the new hydro station on the Trent-Severn Waterway.

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