The prospect of harnessing the Bay of Fundy tides to generate electricity has caught the attention of two European developers of tidal power, The Chronicle Herald has learned.
Hammerfest Strom of Norway and Voith Hydro of Germany are among five companies that have expressed interest to the provincial government, a source told this newspaper.
Hammerfest Strom is already in a joint venture with ScottishPower Renewables to install a one-megawatt pre-commercial turbine at the European Marine Energy Centre in the Orkney Islands. The turbine is expected to be fully operational next year.
Voith Hydro Ocean Current Technologies is installing a one-megawatt turbine off the Scottish coast, project developers reported. The turbine is to commence a two-year trial at the European Marine Energy Centre next year.
The European companies’ interest in the Bay of Fundy tides, the highest in the world, is exciting news, an industry watcher says.
"It would mean the Bay of Fundy is really attracting the attention of the leaders in large-scale tidal," said Chris Campbell, executive director of the Ocean Renewable Energy Group of Nanaimo, B.C.
"That’s the opportunity that Nova Scotia is right on the cusp . . . this being a science experiment and turning it into a business," he said.
Hammerfest Strom executives are coming to Nova Scotia next month and will meet with officials from the government and the Fundy Ocean Research Centre for Energy to look at the medium- to long-term possibilities in Nova Scotia, Campbell said.
"The real issue now (is) what are the real opportunities going to be beyond putting a single machine in the Minas Passage (Bay of Fundy)?" he said. "The industry needs to see they’ve got a place that they can start to get experience with arrays of these machines. Pilot power plants as opposed to machine demonstrations. That’s what everyone is looking at at this point."
Campbell will be in Halifax on Oct. 12 to attend a government meeting on drafting a commercialization strategy for tidal power in Nova Scotia.
Energy Department spokeswoman Tracy Barron would only confirm that the government received notice from five companies that they are interested. She would not identify the companies.
She said the department will soon issue a formal call for more detailed proposals.
Last week, the Atlantic Resources Corp. of the U.K. said it is interested in the tidal energy potential of the Bay of Fundy and is waiting for the government to issue its request for proposals.
A $10-million turbine that Nova Scotia Power and partner OpenHydro of Ireland lowered into the Minas Passage, about 10 kilometres west of Parrsboro, last November was damaged and will be hauled out of the water next month.
Nova Scotia Power discovered that two blades, made from blends of plastics and glass, on the 400-tonne experimental turbine broke off in May. The malfunction is forcing the company to pull the device out of the water a year ahead of schedule.
Two other companies, Minas Basin Pulp and Power of Hantsport and Clean Current of British Columbia, have also been chosen to test turbines in the Bay of Fundy but have delayed their projects until 2012.
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