The Bay of Fundy's mysterious sunken turbine: Will it ever resurface? Nova Scotia's Energy Department has been grappling with a challenging mission for the past ten months: retrieving a massive 1,300-tonne tidal turbine abandoned in the Bay of Fundy. But here's where it gets controversial—over seven years later, the fate of this device remains uncertain.
The story begins with the Cape Sharp Tidal Venture, which met its end when its parent company, OpenHydro Group Ltd., declared bankruptcy. This left the turbine, once a symbol of renewable energy innovation, at the bottom of the bay. The Fundy Ocean Research Centre for Energy (FORCE) has been working tirelessly to survey the site using remote-operated vehicles and high-resolution scans.
And this is the part most people miss: the complexity of the recovery operation. Lindsay Bennett, executive director of FORCE, explains that they are gathering data to assess the feasibility of retrieval. But the question remains—is there a firm commitment to bring the turbine back to the surface? The Energy Department remains tight-lipped on this matter.
Adding to the intrigue, a $4.5-million bond, posted by Occurrent Power, could potentially cover the recovery costs. However, Occurrent's own financial demise complicates matters. The province is also dealing with the removal of four concrete-filled boxcars, once intended for moorings, which have become a navigational hazard and a blight on the landscape.
As the saga unfolds, the public is left wondering: will the turbine ever be recovered, and what does this mean for the future of tidal energy projects? The controversy lies in the balance between environmental responsibility and the practical challenges of such ambitious endeavors. What do you think? Is the recovery of this turbine worth the effort and expense, or should resources be focused elsewhere?
