NB Power vs Tidal Power?

From the N.B. Business Journal

TRENTON, N.S. - Scott Travers envisions a day when enough electricity can be drawn from the Bay of Fundy tides to power every household and industry in Nova Scotia.

Quentin Casey/For the Telegraph-Journal Scott Travers, president and COO of the Minas Basin Pulp and Power Co. Ltd., says he is worried the sale of NB Power could box future tidal electricity projects out of the Maritime power grid. Or perhaps all that power - pulled via turbines from the chilly bay - could be shipped south to help satisfy the needs of power-hungry New England.

Though eager and optimistic, Travers, the lead developer of Nova Scotia's tidal power test site, admits there are potential snags.

Chief among them: the possibility that Hydro-Québec's purchase of NB Power could box Nova Scotia energy producers out of the Maritime power grid.

"We have deep concern about that prospect," Travers said in an interview.

"We either have to have our own dedicated system into the New England market, or be sure we can get it through New Brunswick," he continued. "We're really concerned about that - getting boxed out of the transmission system. All Nova Scotians should be worried about that."

The Graham government has attempted to ease similar concerns expressed by regional premiers, claiming the rules for accessing the grid won't change with NB Power's sale.

At risk for Travers is the mountain of effort already expended in trying to prove the value of Bay of Fundy tidal power.

An engineer by training, Travers is president and chief operating officer of the Minas Basin Pulp and Power Co. Ltd., which is heading the tidal power testing on the Nova Scotia side of the bay.

Located in the Minas Passage, the project will mark the first Canadian deployment of commercial-scale tidal turbines.

The idea is to prove that tidal power can be successfully drawn from the bay, home of the world's most powerful tides.

Three groups are set to test different tidal technologies in the Minas Passage.

Nova Scotia Power and its partner, OpenHydro, an Irish tidal technology firm, recently lowered their massive unit in the water. Clean Current Power Systems Inc., a Vancouver-based company, plans to install its turbine this spring.

Travers said his company's turbine, produced by U.K.-based Marine Current Turbines, should be in the water within two years.

The unit resembles a submersible wind turbine, with propellers that spin when the tide rushes by. The U.K. firm planted a similar unit in Northern Ireland in 2008 - the world's first commercial-scale turbine.

But not only is Minas Basin Pulp and Power placing one of the three Bay of Fundy test turbines, it is also overseeing the overall testing effort.

From laying electrical cable to securing the environmental permitting, the fourth-generation, privately-owned milling company is leading the effort to harness the bay's powerful tides.

If successful, Travers says those efforts could be lucrative.

He estimates that 2,000 megawatts could be drawn from the bay within five or 10 years - enough to power all the homes and industry in Nova Scotia.

"It's 100 per cent green, renewable and predictable," Travers said at a recent federal energy announcement. "It's far better than fossil fuel-driven energy."

Despite those advantages, however, tidal power is not without its sceptics.

Those include Premier Shawn Graham, who says it is unproven, particularly in terms of the cost to ratepayers.

Travers doesn't dispute that claim, but says it's no reason to abandon the idea of tidal power.

"That's true. In the initial stages it won't be competitive with other power sources," he said.

"We'll learn how to bring the price down. Wind energy was dreadfully expensive at first, but we didn't stop because we knew it had a future," he continued, noting that future carbon credits and green energy incentives could bring the cost of tidal power down.

"What we're taking here are baby steps, but big baby steps. I'm looking forward to the next 10 years."