“Sustainable Marine Energy achieved a first in Canadian tidal energy history, delivering power from a floating platform in Grand Passage to Nova Scotia’s electricity grid,” said Premier Houston in a release.
Grand Passage, between Brier Island and Freeport, is home to some of the world’s strongest tides.
“Achieving ‘first power’ to the grid from our new platform in Grand Passage signals a real inflection point for our business,” said Sustainable Marine CEO Jason Hayman in a release from Edinburgh, Scotland.
“It crystallizes the journey we’ve been on, following almost a decade of rigorous research, development and testing.”
“It can be challenging to deliver these first-of-a-kind projects in highly energetic environments, but we have taken a step by step approach to manage the technical risks, and prove the ultra – low environmental impact of our technology. This shows the Bay of Fundy’s energy can be harnessed,” said Hayman.
According to Hayman, it marks a significant milestone for both the company and Canada’s broader energy ambitions.
It shows that the Bay of Fundy’s huge tidal energy resource – which contains more than four times the combined flow of every freshwater river in the world – can be effectively harnessed, potentially providing up to 2500 MW of clean and predictable energy for Canada.
More tidal power fed to Nova Scotia’s grid will help the province get off coal. Nova Scotia needs to be eighty percent powered by renewable energy by 2030. Tidal energy is renewable and predictable, even on cold winter nights. This makes it desirable to electrical grid operators.
If Sustainable Marine can harness the powerful Minas Passage tides at the FORCE site near Parrsboro, that will be a game changer.