Orbital Marine Power & Eauclaire Tidal partner to unlock Canadian tidal stream opportunity

5 December 2023

Orbital Marine Power, the renewable energy company focused on the development and global deployment of its pioneering floating tidal stream turbine technology, has been named Eauclaire Tidal’s technology partner at the Fundy Ocean Research Centre for Energy (FORCE).

The agreement covers one 2.4MW O2X machine to be deployed on the FORCE facility in the fast flowing waters of the Minas Passage.

Andrew Scott, CEO at Orbital, said “We are pleased to take these first steps towards working with Eauclaire Tidal on Orbital’s first international project opportunity. FORCE is a world-class facility and, if a clear regulatory and long-term licensing process can be established, the tidal stream resource represents a significant opportunity to decarbonize the Nova Scotia energy system and provide clean, predictable power more widely.

Orbital’s floating tidal stream technology has been confirmed as the device that can be deployed, subject to the required regulatory approvals, following a license transfer and technology change by the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources and Renewables (NRR), signed earlier this year. The final timing of deployment will be confirmed after a Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) assessment process has been completed, this was recently initiated with the submission of a project Request for Review.

Jane Lowrie at Eauclaire said, “FORCE is a world-class facility and the tidal stream resource in the Bay of Fundy represents a significant opportunity to decarbonize the Nova Scotia energy system. The O2 floating tidal stream turbine is the ideal technology to deploy as we work together to fulfill FORCE’s potential to be a net export of clean power to Nova Scotian households and businesses.”

The company’s first O2 machine is deployed in the waters off Orkney in Scotland, and it has been exporting electricity as the world’s most powerful tidal turbine to the UK grid since July 2021. It completed operational financing in 2022 and is expected to offset around 2,000 tonnes of CO2 per year and power 1,700 homes while creating and sustaining high-value jobs within the local economy over the course of its operational life.

Lindsay Bennett at FORCE said, “It’s exciting to see Orbital seeking to deploy in Nova Scotia waters and find another partner to help cut emissions and fight the impacts of climate change. We look forward to working with the O2 team on their first North American project and supporting their successful deployment.”

About Orbital Marine Power Ltd.

Orbital Marine Power (Orbital) is a visionary, Scotland-based, renewable energy company focused on the development and global application of its pioneering floating turbine stream technology. 

The culmination of over 15 years of refinement has resulted in the world’s most powerful and advanced tidal stream turbine, the O2, which has been exporting low-carbon electricity to the UK grid since July 2021. The O2 is a 2MW+ product capable of being deployed in multi-unit arrays to provide utility-scale, clean energy with almost zero visual impact.

Orbital’s innovative approach de-risks the commercial extraction of low-carbon energy from fast-flowing currents by offering low manufacturing and installation costs. As well as the ability to carry out inexpensive and quick servicing on all major turbine components through a proprietary structural configuration.

Orbital has an established portfolio of further multi-MW tidal stream projects, focused initially within UK waters, built on a global pipeline of multi-GW opportunities.

More information about Orbital can be found here: www.orbitalmarine.com

About FORCE

FORCE is Canada’s lead facility for tidal stream energy research and demonstration, located in Minas Passage, Bay of Fundy, home to the world’s highest tides. Since 2009, FORCE has built the electrical infrastructure to allow devices to deliver power to the provincial grid, and in partnership with many organizations, conducted and published research, monitoring, and risk assessment to better understand the marine environment and the role tidal energy can play in Canada’s energy future. 

More at www.fundyforce.ca

About Eauclaire

Eauclaire is a Canadian tidal power developer, with over a decade of dedication and experience in this power generation endeavor. Comprised of several seasoned energy professionals, who believe strongly in the capacity of reliable and predictable power generation from the forces in our coastal resources, Eauclaire remains committed to near-term, commercial deployments of proven Orbital technologies in its target Berth locations here and abroad.