Tidal Project Begins Construction on Subsea Platform

Understanding the Bay of Fundy's powerful tides is getting easier, thanks to  a new advanced sensor platform being built for the Minas Passage.

Simon Melrose, the platform project manager for the Fundy Ocean Research  Center for Energy (FORCE), speaking at the Nova Scotia Energy Research and  Development Forum today, announced construction contracts for a new  underwater platform designed to measure the tide in real time via cable  connection - a breakthrough for Nova Scotia's tidal energy efforts.

"To harness the enormous power of the Bay of Fundy, we have to understand  it," said Mr. Melrose. "That's why we're building an underwater platform  that will give us a clearer, moment-by-moment picture of the tidal currents  at the FORCE site."

Tony Wright, general manager of FORCE, said: "The platform builds on the  successful deployment last year of the first subsea cable ever laid in the  Minas Passage - a task that proved we can work in the world's most  challenging tidal site."

The platform will be connected from sea to shore by a 3-kilometer subsea  data cable installed in 2013 and is expected to record vital information on  the tides, current flow and water quality.

The platform is part of FORCE's Fundy Advanced Sensor Technology (FAST)  program. The FAST program is designed to monitor and characterize the FORCE  site with a recoverable platform that uses a variety of onboard sensing  equipment.

"We expect most of this work will be carried out by local firms - proving  that Nova Scotia and Canada already have the expertise to lead this  industry," said Mr. Wright.

Some of the Nova Scotia companies involved include:

• Open Seas Instrumentation Inc., based in Musquodoboit Harbour, who are  designing and building the platform,
• EMO Marine Technologies Ltd., based in Eastern Passage, who are designing and building the communication system that will bring the data ashore over  the fibre optic data cable, and
• Mackenzie Atlantic Tool and Die Ltd., also based in Musquodoboit Harbour,  who are building the specialized stainless steel housing for the equipment.

Dan Wellwood, president of Open Seas Instrumentation, says: "This technology  will contribute to enhancing our understanding of the extreme conditions in  the Minas Passage, and can be exported for use in other high flow sites  around the world."