Today’s release of the final report of the Task Force on Sustainable Tidal Energy in the Bay of Fundy signals that Canada is stepping up efforts to use tidal energy to help meet its clean energy targets, contribute to the economy, and reduce reliance on imported fossil fuels.

“The tides of the Bay of Fundy can play an important role in Nova Scotia’s response to climate change,” says Lindsay Bennett, executive director of the Fundy Ocean Research Centre for Energy (FORCE). “To harness this power responsibly, we need a clear set of rules on how projects move forward, supported by world-class research. Today’s report is an encouraging step forward for the sector: it signals that Canada aims to get this right.”

The report announced a number of new actions by the Government of Canada, including:

• A revised approach to project authorizations by Fisheries and Oceans Canada
• Support for new research related to collision risk, especially for fish species of conservation concern, led by Acadia University in partnership with FORCE
• Enhanced collaboration amongst regulators, the international scientific community, and industry to keep step with advances in science and engineering

“This is about striking a responsible balance as we enter the next stage of renewable energy development in the Bay of Fundy,” says Bennett. “The revised approach gives tidal projects greater regulatory clarity as they advance, while also retaining the flexibility necessary for DFO to exercise its responsibilities for fisheries management, and protection of fish habitat and species at risk.”

“To make progress in reducing environmental effects uncertainty, we need reliable technologies and sensor systems to monitor fish movements at and near tidal devices,” says lead investigator Dr. Anna Redden, Director of the Acadia Tidal Energy Institute at Acadia University. “It will require rigorous testing and adaptation of monitoring instruments, robust approaches to data analysis, and ongoing refinement as we continue to learn.”

Additionally, the report indicated a need to better integrate science with international efforts. The United Kingdom and France, for example, have both recently increased tidal energy project development activity that may yield new, transferrable approaches, methods, and knowledge.

The Task Force report can be found here: https://www.canada.ca/en/fisheries-oceans/news/2024/02/government-of-canada-releases-report-to-guide-the-path-towards-tidal-energy-projects-in-bay-of-fundy.html

Quick facts:

• FORCE’s electrical capacity limit: 30 megawatts (MW)
• Nova Scotia’s strategic goal for tidal energy development: 300 MW
• Energy potential of Minas Passage, Bay of Fundy: 2,500 MW, estimated; equal to Nova Scotia’s total energy use; equal to removing one-million-cars’ worth of greenhouse gas emissions

About FORCE

FORCE is Canada’s lead test facility for marine renewable energy, located in the Bay of Fundy. As a not-for-profit research lab, FORCE collaborates with government, industry, academia and the public to understand how tidal stream energy technology can play a safe, effective role in Canada’s energy future. FORCE has onshore and offshore electrical infrastructure to deliver power to the provincial grid, and works with local and international partners to research and monitor devices in the marine environment. 

More at fundyforce.ca

Media Contact:

Kayla Berlinghoff

Fundy Ocean Research Centre for Energy

902-441-3326

kayla.berlinghoff@fundyforce.ca