NS Power and OpenHydro successfully deploy in-stream tidal turbine in the Bay of Fundy

NS Power and OpenHydro successfully deploy in-stream tidal turbine in the Bay
of Fundy

HALIFAX and PARRSBORO, NS, Nov. 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ - NS Power and its
tidal technology partner OpenHydro have successfully deployed the first
commercial scale in-stream tidal turbine in the Bay of Fundy today. The
one-megawatt commercial scale turbine reached the Fundy Ocean Research Centre
for Energy (FORCE) deployment site, in the Minas Passage, yesterday afternoon
and began preparations for deployment. The turbine was fully deployed just
before 2:00 today and is now operational, rotating with the tides, collecting
data, and producing energy.
"Today begins a very important period of testing that we believe will
demonstrate that tidal energy can be part of Nova Scotia's renewable energy
future," said Rob Bennett, President and CEO of Nova Scotia Power. "Working
with OpenHydro, we are proud to be the first to deploy and test a commercial
scale tidal turbine in the Bay of Fundy and look forward to the learnings
ahead."
The turbine's journey from Halifax to the deployment site, located
approximately three kilometres off the shore of Black Rock, took 7 days. Once
on site, the 400-tonne device was lowered in less than six hours to its
intended location on the ocean floor by the purpose-built barge called the
OpenHydro Installer. The barge and the deployment method were both designed
and developed by OpenHydro.
"Today is an historic first for Nova Scotia," said James Ives, CEO of
OpenHydro. "For the first time, thanks to Nova Scotia Power's foresight and
OpenHydro's technology, a commercial size in-stream tidal turbine has been
successfully deployed in what is undoubtedly one of the world's strongest
tidal energy resources."
The turbine now rests on the seabed held in place by a subsea gravity base
designed by OpenHydro and fabricated by Cherubini Metal Works, a Dartmouth
based company.
Nova Scotia Power's involvement with this tidal energy test facility is
supported by Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC), an
arm's-length, not-for-profit corporation created by the Government of Canada.
Photographic, video and animation material can be viewed at
www.openhydro.com/images or www.nspower.ca/tidal

About Nova Scotia Power

Nova Scotia Power Inc. is the largest wholly-owned subsidiary of Emera Inc.
(TSX-EMA), a diversified energy and services company. Nova Scotia Power
provides more than 95% of the generation, transmission and distribution of
electrical power to 482,000 customers in the province with 10-12% from
renewable energy sources. The company is focused on new technologies to
enhance customer service and reliability, reduce emissions and add renewable
energy such as wind, biomass and in-stream tidal. Nova Scotia Power has 1,700
employees and $3.5 billion in assets. Learn more at www.nspower.ca

About OpenHydro

OpenHydro is an Irish energy technology company whose business is the design
and manufacture of marine turbines for generating renewable energy from tidal
streams. The company's vision is to deploy arrays of tidal turbines under the
world's oceans, silently and invisibly generating electricity at no cost to
the environment. OpenHydro has achieved a number of industry firsts including
being the first to deploy a tidal turbine at the European Marine Energy Centre
(EMEC), the first to connect to and generate electricity from tidal streams
onto the UK National Grid and the first to successfully demonstrate a method
of safely and economically deploying turbines directly on the seabed. The
deployment method uses a custom built heavy lift barge designed by OpenHydro
specifically for deploying tidal turbines which delivers a step change in the
economics of tidal energy.
OpenHydro has a project portfolio spanning the USA, Canada, France and the
Channel Islands with utility partners including EDF and Nova Scotia Power.
OpenHydro has won a number of awards for its innovations in the field of
renewable energy technology. For further information please visit
www.openhydro.com

About SDTC

Sustainable Development Technology Canada (SDTC) is an arm's-length foundation
created by the Government of Canada which has received $1.05 billion as part
of the Government's commitment to create a healthy environment and a high
quality of life for all Canadians.
SDTC operates two funds aimed at the development and demonstration of
innovative technological solutions. The $550 million SD Tech Fund(TM) supports
projects that address climate change, air quality, clean water, and clean
soil. The $500 million NextGen Biofuels Fund(TM) supports the establishment of
first-of-kind large demonstration-scale facilities for the production of
next-generation renewable fuels.
SDTC operates as a not-for-profit corporation and has been working with the
public and private sector including industry, academia, non-governmental
organizations (NGOs), the financial community and all levels of government to
achieve this mandate.
SOURCE Nova Scotia Power Inc.

Jennifer Parker, Nova Scotia Power, (902) 428-6567, (902) 233-6015,
jennifer.parker@nspower.ca; Frans Van Cauwelaert, OpenHydro, +353-1-669 0155,
Cell: +353-(0)87 947 6743, frans.vancauwelaert@ogilvy.com; Patrice Breton,
SDTC, (613) 234-6313 ext. 295, p.breton@sdtc.ca