Tidal energy

Harnessing the power of the ocean’s tides can provide a source of predictable clean energy and help build a world-class marine renewable energy industry in Nova Scotia.

About tidal energy

Tidal stream is an emerging technology that uses underwater turbines to capture energy from the natural flow of water, much like wind turbines capture wind. Tidal energy comes from the ebb and flow of ocean tides.

Nova Scotia has a world-class tidal resource: the Bay of Fundy pushes roughly 160 billion tonnes of water every tide cycle – more than all the freshwater rivers and streams in the world combined. Many areas offer tidal potential, including Petit Passage, Grand Passage, and Minas Passage – where tidal flows reach speeds over 5 metres per second, offering 2,500 megawatts of extractable power potential.

The Government of Nova Scotia is developing a small portion of this power – roughly 20 megawatts – as technology matures and costs come down, in Minas Passage and other Fundy sites.

Government created the Fundy Ocean Research Centre for Energy (FORCE) to better understand how tidal energy can play a role in Nova Scotia’s clean energy goals.

FORCE provides offshore and onshore electrical infrastructure so devices can plug into the power grid and deliver electricity to homes and businesses across Nova Scotia. It also delivers a science program in partnership with universities and research organizations to monitor any potential environmental effects.

Benefits of tidal energy

Tidal energy offers many benefits to Nova Scotia, including:

predictability – unlike solar and wind’s intermittent energy, tidal energy follows known lunar cycles, making it a reliable power source
energy independence – locally-sourced clean power enhances Nova Scotia’s energy security
economic growth – tidal energy development creates jobs in engineering, research, and marine services; over 300 Nova Scotia companies have already participated in the emerging sector

Nova Scotia's tidal energy advantage

Nova Scotia is a global leader in tidal energy, offering many advantages:

world-class resource – the Bay of Fundy has the highest tides on Earth, with energy potential exceeding the province’s total electricity demand
North America’s leading test centre – FORCE provides a dedicated site for testing and monitoring tidal technology
market incentives – Nova Scotia can offer a fixed-price for energy, which gives companies more certainty when financing projects
government policy – Nova Scotia has a goal of 80% clean electricity by 2030, and there may be an opportunity for tidal energy to contribute; this opportunity expands looking towards 2050, which is Nova Scotia’s deadline for net zero emissions

Support and training

Nova Scotia has supports to develop the tidal energy sector and its workforce. Supports include:

incentives and funding – financial programs support innovation and project deployment. Natural Resources Canada has also supported tidal stream projects
research and monitoring – FORCE works with many research and academic organization to conduct studies on tidal flow, marine life and potential impacts
training and workforce development – Nova Scotia Community College offers an ocean technology program that prepares workers for careers in this emerging sector; Dalhousie University and Acadia University also provide training in multiple fields relevant to ocean science and management that students have used to find employment in the tidal sector

Clean Economy Grants Program – helps master's students research areas of importance to Nova Scotia's energy sector
Clean Economy Scholarship Program – helps students entering college or university with a scholarship to gain the skills for work in the renewable energy sector
Energy Training Program – helps businesses in the energy sector hire post-secondary students and recent graduates

Technology

To date, a total of 5 tidal stream devices have been built in Nova Scotia (3 by OpenHydro, 1 by Sustainable Marine Energy and 1 by Occurrent Power). Upcoming technologies include Orbital Marine Power and Nova Innovation; government is tendering for additional projects.

While still an emerging technology, tidal stream has begun to reach significant milestones – particularly in the United Kingdom, where a 2-megawatt commercial-scale device has been in successful operation since 2021.

Sustainable development

The Bay of Fundy is ecologically and biologically significant and home to many species of economic, social and cultural importance, including species at risk. Tidal energy projects must be developed in a manner that avoids and minimizes risks to the environment.

Nova Scotia’s Marine Renewable-energy Act was the first legislation in Canada to fully govern marine renewable projects in provincial waters. The 2018 legislation aims to protect the environment, respect community and local needs, and make sure that Nova Scotians benefit from the development of marine renewable energy.

Task force

In 2024, the federal government’s Task Force on Sustainable Tidal Energy Development in the Bay of Fundy identified critical issues to advancing the tidal energy sector and outlined a path forward for project development, including:

a revised approach to how Fisheries and Oceans Canada will evaluate projects that better aligns with provincial licencing
support for new research related to collision risk
a commitment to ensure regulators better collaborate with the international scientific community