Bay of Fundy turbine gets test run

A turbine that will soon be deployed as part of a demonstration project on Fundy tidal power got a dress rehearsal Monday in the Halifax area.

Over a six-hour period, a barge that was custom-built by OpenHydro — the Irish company that also manufactured the turbine for Nova Scotia Power — lowered a turbine into the Bedford Basin.

The donut-shaped device, which measures 10 metres across and stands six storeys high, was suspended 17 metres below water by hydraulic-powered winches.

The turbine then underwent tests before being hauled to the surface.

Within the next three weeks, the OpenHydro device will be installed at a site in the Bay of Fundy, near Parrsboro.

If the device can survive the winter storms, the turbine has the capacity to generate electricity for up to 400 homes once it gets connected to the power grid.

In September, the Fundy tidal power demonstration project got the green light from the province's Environment Department to test underwater turbines to convert tidal energy into electricity.

Nova Scotia Power is working toward putting a commercial-size turbine in the bay by the end of the year, while the two other companies selected — Minas Basin Pulp and Power and B.C.-based Clean Current — are aiming for next spring.