The Canadian Government has approved $28.5 million for Sustainable Marine in Nova Scotia to deliver Canada’s first floating tidal energy array – one of Canada’s largest-ever investments in tidal energy.
Funding for the project comes from Natural Resources Canada’s Emerging Renewables Power Program, part of Canada’s more than $180-billion Investing in Canada infrastructure plan for public transit projects, green infrastructure, social infrastructure, trade and transportation routes and Canada’s rural and northern communities.
Sustainable Marine developed an innovative floating tidal energy platform called PLAT-I that has undergone rigorous testing on the waters of Grand Passage for nearly two years. A second platform is currently being assembled in Meteghan, Nova Scotia and will be launched in Grand Passage later this year for testing before relocation to the Fundy Ocean Research Centre for Energy (FORCE) in 2021. These platforms will make up the tidal energy array.
The objective of the project is to provide up to nine megawatts of predictable and clean renewable electricity to Nova Scotia’s electrical grid. This will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 17,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide a year while creating new jobs in the province. The project will also demonstrate the ability to harness tides as a reliable source of renewable electricity to power homes, vehicles and businesses.
The announcement was made by the Honourable Seamus O’Regan, Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources at the Marine Renewables Canada 2020 Fall Forum, which brings together its members and industry to identify opportunities and strategize a path forward for marine renewable energy sources.