N.S. government launches trial permits for tidal projects

With developers still working to capture energy from the Bay of Fundy tides, Nova Scotia is trying a new approach to speed up progress.

The government announced Friday that it is accepting proposals for small-scale tidal power test projects.

Projects can generate up to two megawatts of power and must connect to the local grid. Applications are open until the end of September.

"It's not like a paper napkin project, but it's not a commercial project," Energy Minister Marco MacLeod said in an interview. "It's for people to really demonstrate … that it works."

The new demonstration permits will last up to five years, with an option to renew. The government is making up to 7.7 megawatts of capacity available through the project.

MacLeod said the idea came after conversations at an ocean energy conference earlier this year, where developers said they had creative ideas but lacked a clear way to test them.

Existing test sites at the Fundy Ocean Research Centre for Energy (FORCE) are aimed at technologies closer to full commercial release. MacLeod said this new permit creates a two-stage approach, which makes sense given that there is no single proven method for tidal power.

"It's not like wind where we know the best solution is you put a pole in the ground with a turbine and three blades on it," he said.

"We're still at a point in the tidal world where they're still trying to figure out the best way to harness this energy. And having this small permit program, it lets companies that may have some creative ideas try them out."

So far, no company has successfully generated electricity from the Bay of Fundy tides at a large commercial scale, MacLeod said.

"Mother Nature is a hard one to tame, especially with the weight and force of moving water."

Meanwhile, the province is still trying to clean up equipment left behind by failed tidal ventures.

MacLeod said officials are finalizing details with a contractor to remove four cement-filled railcars from the floor of the Bay of Fundy.

Originally used as anchors for a project that went bust, Transport Canada now considers them hazards to ships. FORCE expects the railcars to be removed this fall.

Once the railcars are gone, government officials will decide what to do with a 1,300-tonne turbine left on the ocean floor seven years ago after its parent company went bankrupt.

"Is it worth the money to remove it, or is it stable enough to leave? I'm not sure yet," MacLeod said.

A $4.5-million security deposit from the previous operator remains set aside for cleanup, but a government spokesperson noted Friday that the total cost to remove the turbine is still unknown.