N.S., N.B. to share cost of Bay of Fundy tidal power study

Buoyed by the potential of tidal energy in the Bay of Fundy, the New Brunswick and Nova Scotia governments are jointly funding a study that will bring marine renewable power generation one step closer to a reality.

The two provinces will each invest $75,000 in an environmental assessment of tidal power in the bay. The assessment will include a comprehensive consultation process with organizations and groups with an interest in the future of tidal power in the region, as well as a socio-economic impact assessment report.

The Offshore Energy and Environmental Research Association, a group of Nova Scotia universities established and funded by the provincial government to study the sector, will be responsible for carrying out the request-for-proposal process.

Meinhard Doelle, chairman of the assessment's technical advisory group, said the two jurisdictions will make waves in the tidal power community with the study.

"The idea of doing a strategic environmental assessment has been talked about for a long time but we don't have a lot of experience doing this in Canada, so this is a novel thing," Doelle said.

"It's a very exciting process. It has the potential to address a lot of the shortcomings that you see at the project specific level."