The federal government has announced a $28.5 million investment in Sustainable Marine, based in Dartmouth, N.S., to deliver Canada’s first floating tidal energy array, one of Ottawa’s largest investments in tidal energy.
The objective of the project is to provide up to nine megawatts of clean, renewable electricity to Nova Scotia’s electrical grid. It will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 17,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year and will demonstrate the ability to harness tides as a reliable source of electricity to power homes, vehicles and businesses.
Sustainable Marine has 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, N.S., and will be launched in Grand Passage later this year for testing before relocation to the Fundy Ocean Research Centre for Energy in 2021. The platforms will make up the tidal energy array.
Seamus O’Regan, the federal Natural Resources Minister, made the announcement 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.
Funding for the project comes from Natural Resources Canada’s Emerging Renewable Power Program, part of Canada’s more than $180-billion infrastructure plan for public transit projects, green infrastructure, social infrastructure, trade and transportation routes, and Canada’s rural and northern communities.