Eauclaire Tidal Ltd and Orbital Marine Power Ltd have been selected as the sole awardees of new tidal energy licences under the Province of Nova Scotia’s 2025 tidal energy procurement process. The partnership has been granted an additional 12.5 MW of capacity through two 15-year power purchase contracts, along with associated seabed and electrical infrastructure connection rights at FORCE.
This expands the partnership’s contracted pipeline supporting the installation of six Orbital O2-X tidal turbines across the existing FORCE facility in the Minas Passage. Once operational, each turbine will produce around 180 GWh of predictable, clean energy over the 15-year contract period.
This represents Orbital’s largest project outside the UK and a major step toward harnessing the power of the Bay of Fundy, one of the most powerful tidal resources in the world, to deliver reliable, emissions-free energy for Nova Scotia.
Eauclaire and Orbital have been working as co-sponsors of tidal stream energy projects in Nova Scotia since 2023. Orbital, through its continued investment in Eauclaire, will co-own and operate the projects and perform the role of EPC contractor for the delivery of its six O2-X turbines.
Jane Lowrie, President of Eauclaire, said: “Our partnership will deliver reliable, emissions-free electricity to the Nova Scotia power grid from the Bay of Fundy, which is known to be one of the best tidal energy resources in the world.
“We look forward to working with our First Nation partners and local communities to build a strong tidal power industrial base that will create specialised, permanent employment opportunities right here in Nova Scotia. We greatly appreciate the support from the Nova Scotia government that has got us to this stage.”
Vice-President of Eauclaire, Jennifer Lewis, added: “Our plan is to deploy these tidal generation units to help Nova Scotia achieve its emission reduction targets, including decreasing reliance on coal-fired generation, while creating sustainable employment opportunities for Nova Scotia Residents.”
Andrew Scott, Orbital Marine Power CEO, commented: “This tremendous news provides the critical first steps in an exciting, scalable vision for Orbital to work with our partners, investors, supply chain and public sector stakeholders across Nova Scotia and Canada to capture the huge sustainable benefits that can flow from harnessing the clean energy that moves like clockwork through the Bay of Fundy.”
This latest award marks an important milestone for both companies and for the wider marine energy sector in Canada. It demonstrates growing investor confidence in tidal stream technology as a dependable component of the clean-energy mix and signals Nova Scotia’s emergence as a global hub for commercial scale tidal power. With government, industry, and community partners aligned, Eauclaire and Orbital are now advancing plans toward first deployment and to play a significant role in building a tidal energy industry in Nova Scotia.
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