At least seven prime locations along the shores of the Bay of Fundy are being considered as test sites for a new type of underwater turbine that may one day harness the bay's immense tidal power.
George Hagerman, a U.S. researcher who specializes in ocean energy systems, recently toured the sites in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, most of them along scenic capes or entrances to smaller bays.
Mr. Hagerman, a research associate with Virginia Tech's Advanced Research Institute in Arlington, Va., is working on an international feasibility study on behalf of the California-based Electric Power Research Institute.
Nova Scotia and New Brunswick have joined Maine, Massachusetts, Alaska, Washington and California to pay for the $425,000 study.
Among the potential test sites Hagerman looked at:
— The Minas Channel near Nova Scotia's Cape Split, where the currents can reach up to 15 kilometres per hour.
— The Minas Channel near Nova Scotia's Cape d'Or.
— The entrance to the Cumberland Basin at Joggins, N.S.
— The waters off Economy Point, N.S.
— The entrance to New Brunswick's Shepody Bay.
— The waters off Cape Enrage, N.B.
— The passage into New Brunswick's Passamaquoddy Bay.
"All of these sites are potentially suitable, no question. But they all have different bottom conditions," Mr. Hagerman said.
Tidal-flow technology, which has been in use in a pilot project off Britain for the past two years, uses large turbines that are anchored to the ocean bottom. The propeller-like turbines are similar to land-based windmills.
The Bay of Fundy is of particular interest to researchers because its tides are among the highest and most powerful in the world.
Although early in the study process, Hagerman said the community of Parrsboro, N.S., on the north side of the Minas Channel, could serve as a support centre for a number of test sites.
He said Parrsboro's attributes include its harbour and its proximity to a railway line and technical college at Springhill, N.S., all of which could help with the inspection, maintenance and repair of the turbines.
But Mr. Hagerman stressed that no one has committed to building anything at this point. The final report, to be prepared by a team from the Electric Power Research Institute, isn't expected to be completed until next spring.
The study will be one of a series that each jurisdiction will scrutinize before deciding whether a test run is economically viable.
It's a process that will take years, said Darwin Curtis, spokesman for the New Brunswick Department of Energy.
"Hopefully, there will be enough information coming out of this to launch the next step, which would be a more in-depth feasibility on specific sites. ... The next step from there would be to actually develop pilot projects."
Despite being a decades-old dream, there is currently only one tidal power facility in the Bay of Fundy. The Annapolis Tidal Generating Station at Annapolis Royal, N.S., is one of only three of its kind in the world.
Built in 1984, it is capable of supplying power to 4,000 homes.
But unlike the new tidal turbines, the station uses a dam to hold back large amounts of tidal water. Nova Scotia Power Inc., the privately owned utility that operates the generating station, has said it is keen to use technology that is friendlier to the environment.
"In this new tidal flow technology, there is no dam involved," said Bill Richards, an engineering specialist with the company. "We just have the water flow doing the work, so there's no need to have the environmental impacts associated with a dam."
Harry Thurston, a biologist and author of the book Tidal Life: A Natural History of the Bay of Fundy, said he wants to see the study before passing judgment on the new technology.
"It's possible, perhaps, that there are technologies that wouldn't have a major impact from an economic and ecological point of view, but I think it's too early to say that," Mr. Thurston said.
The naturalist called the bay one of the most important ecological areas on the continent — one vital to migratory bird species, with a rich fishery and a viable tourism industry.
All are points that weren't lost on Mr. Hagerman, who said he was impressed by the region's natural beauty.
"On a personal note, I feel very strongly that whatever we do, we want to make sure that it preserves the beauty of these places because they really are dramatic," he said.
