First Floating Tidal Power Delivered to Nova Scotia Grid

May 11, 2022

Sustainable Marine, a UK-based marine energy firm, has leveraged the Bay of Fundy’s massive tidal currents to supply the first floating in-stream tidal power to Nova Scotia’s grid. This is an important milestone for both Sustainable Marine and Canada’s larger marine energy objectives, according to CEO Jason Hayman.

It shows how the Bay of Fundy’s massive tidal energy resource, which includes more than four times the total flow of all freshwater rivers on the planet, can be properly utilized to provide up to 2500MW of clean, reliable electricity for Canada. “Achieving ‘first electricity’ to the grid from our new Grand Passage platform indicates a major turning moment for our company,” Hayman said. 

It is the culmination of over a decade of meticulous study, development, and testing. According to Hayman, the project has allowed Sustainable Marine to progressively gain the skills and funds needed to deliver turnkey projects, such as the Tidal Pioneer, a multipurpose construction vessel, and a suite of next-generation, remotely operated subsea installation machines that support the company’s novel Swift Anchors technology.

Nova Scotia has set aside around 30MW of capacity for developers to show the effectiveness, affordability, and environmental implications of this new kind of energy generating through demonstration licenses and berths at FORCE (Fundy Ocean Research Center for Energy).

With a legal framework in place to offer up to 300MW of installed capacity, these demonstration projects give developers a roadmap to lower costs on the way to commercial projects. It also accords with the region’s net-zero ambitions to expedite the coal-fired energy phase-out by 2030.

“Sustainable Marine achieved a first in Canadian tidal energy history, sending power from a floating platform in Grand Passage to Nova Scotia’s electrical system,” stated Tim Houston, Nova Scotia’s premier. “This and other projects are establishing Nova Scotia as a global participant in the tidal energy industry, resulting in green innovations, green employment, a better environment, and a reliable, renewable supply of electricity for Nova Scotians.”

Sustainable Marine, based in Edinburgh, is planning to deliver the world’s first floating tidal array at FORCE and is demonstrating its technology and environmental monitoring systems at Grand Passage before beginning deployments in the Minas Passage, dubbed the ‘Everest of tidal energy.’

The business has 15 patented innovations in its portfolio. Apart from tidal energy, the company’s broad offering intends to empower the ‘blue economy’ in general by delivering modular platforms, mooring, and anchoring solutions to overcome fundamental issues in the deployment of marine renewable energy and floating wind.