The Bay of Fundy Inshore Fishermen’s Association (BFIFA) is scheduled to appear in court today to seek a stay for the installation of Cape Sharp Tidal’s turbines in the Bay of Fundy.
The local fishermen association complained about the potential impacts of the turbines on the fish and Bay of Fundy’s ecosystem, filing for a stay to stop the installation of two 2MW tidal turbines until the February hearing review.
The association is challenging the decision by Nova Scotia Department of Environment to approve the monitoring program for Fundy Ocean Research Centre for Energy (FORCE) and Cape Sharp Tidal, which cleared the way for the installation of the turbines.
BFIFA claims the project’s effect on the Bay of Fundy should be further studied, requiring a baseline environmental study to properly assess the impact of the turbines, according to Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC).
Cape Sharp Tidal, a joint venture created by Emera and OpenHydro, plans to begin with the deployment in the first week of November, CBC report.
Each turbine is 16 m in diameter and 20 m in height, with the weight of 1,000 tonnes, and once installed they’re expected to power 1,000 homes.