Bay of Fundy tidal power installation delayed until spring
Weather, manufacturing issues behind decision to postpone
Plans to launch two power-generating turbines in the Bay of Fundy by the end of this year have been delayed until next spring.
A spokesperson for OpenHydro, the French company that is working with Emera to develop the province's tidal industry, says the barge and one turbine should be complete by the end of this year, but the second turbine will not be ready.
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The winter weather is also a factor in postponing the deployment.
Together, OpenHydro and Emera have spent $33 million in Nova Scotia, with 250 people still employed at Pictou's Aecon where the huge turbines are being built.
The collaboration, called Cape Sharp Tidal, has the potential to provide energy to more than 1,000 customers in Nova Scotia once the turbines are in place.
If the project gets further approval down the road, the goal will be to get 300 megawatts of energy in the 2020s, generating power for nearly 75,000 customers.