[Dmajackson]

Tidal energy project delayed
Delay caused by powerful Fundy currents that destroyed expensive equipment
By JUDY MYRDEN Business Reporter
Thu. Nov 13 - 11:26 AM

NOVA SCOTIA’S $59-million effort to generate electricity from the Bay of Fundy tides has fallen behind schedule and will miss its targeted startup in the spring, The Chronicle Herald has learned.

When the project was announced at a packed Parrsboro Community Centre last January, it was heralded as a dramatic step forward in the province’s drive to find renewable energy sources.

But the project has been buffeted by the same turbulent tides that engineers, environmentalists and politicians hope to harness with three underwater turbines.

Sources confirm that the powerful Bay of Fundy currents destroyed expensive tidal monitoring equipment this past summer.

As a result, determining a demonstration site has taken longer than anticipated and the cost is approaching $1 million, says John Woods of Minas Basin Pulp and Power Co. of Hantsport.

"We weren’t surprised that we got the surprises," said Mr. Woods, a veteran of the energy industry. "It’s the Bay of Fundy — it’s the best site in the world."

Minas Basin Pulp and Power Co. is among three groups of companies involved in the pilot project to test tidal power technologies in the Bay of Fundy. Minas Basin has teamed up with UEK Hydrokinetic of Maryland, while the other successful bidders were Clean Current of British Columbia, and Nova Scotia Power, which has joined forces with Ireland’s OpenHydro.

The group led by OpenHydro and Nova Scotia Power has clammed up about its project, declining to return several calls from this newspaper.

Nova Scotia government officials have also gone to ground.

Glen Darou, president and CEO of Clean Current, did agree to speak about his project, admitting it is behind schedule.

"We’ve pretty well missed the original date of the fall of 2009," he said in a phone interview from Vancouver.

Mr. Darou was emphatic that his company is actively pursuing the Minas project, noting environmental approvals are being sought and engineering work is underway for the installation of his Mark III turbine at the test location.

"The potential of the Bay of Fundy is a 300-megawatt farm, assuming environmental and economic concerns are satisfied," he said.

Clean Current, however, has its own shoals to navigate.

Each of the three test turbine projects is expected to cost $10 million to $15 million.

Clean Current got one-third of its stake from the federal government and is still looking for other backers.

Mr. Woods,

meanwhile, said the Minas Basin group is plowing ahead despite the challenges. The group has chosen the Minas Passage area of the Minas Channel west of Parrsboro as the best spot for the demonstration site.

He said a formal announcement on the site will be made later this month after Minas meets with the other two groups participating in the pilot project.

That will clear the way for his group to apply for environmental permits, Mr. Woods said.

It will also allow Minas Basin to order the specialized heavy cable that will carry electricity to shore. The cable could not be ordered until it was clear how much would be required. It’s expected to cost about $600,000 to buy and install but it will take a year to arrive, pushing the startup date to 2010.

"We want everything to be successful; we describe it as a ‘hurry slowly,’ " said Mr. Woods. "Because we’ve taken so long to get the site, the official opening is now 2010."

With the site selection comes the real test: the competition for the most effective technology.

Mr. Woods was cryptic when asked how his technology is progressing.

"We’re still working with our technology provider," is all he would say.

Mr. Darou of Clean Current said his technology works but a turbine the size of his Mark III has never been connected to an electricity grid. He said it’s the largest and most powerful tidal turbine in the world.

He is optimistic about the huge potential of the Bay of Fundy and the opportunity for setting up a commercial farm of turbines to generate electricity.

Over the past two weeks, the province’s Environment and Energy departments have put off interviews about the status of the tidal project, with a public relations staffer telling The Chronicle Herald: "It’s a big government."

While it is disappointing to see this behind schedule it is an excellent project and i guess something on the scale has to work perfectly and have the kinks worked out.