Local fishermen vs Bay of Fundy tidal on court, again

OpenHydro turbine for Cape Sharp Tidal project (Photo: Cape Sharp Tidal)

 
The Bay of Fundy Inshore Fishermen’s Association (BFIFA) will appear on Nova Scotia court today for a hearing on the approval of environmental plan which granted the installation of Cape Sharp Tidal turbines in the Bay of Fundy.

BFIFA filed the first application to court in July 2016 to seek the repeal of the approval of monitoring program for the Fundy Ocean Research Centre for Energy (FORCE), received a month earlier the same year, under which FORCE was allowed to proceed with the demonstration project in the Minas Passage.

The project involves the installation of two Cape Sharp Tidal turbines in the Bay of Fundy, and after the Justice Jamie Campbell of the Nova Scotia Supreme Court ruled not to halt the deployment of the project, the first 2MW turbine was installed in November 2016.

The second court hearing will take place today, February 1, 2017, according to The Chronicle Herald, and will review BFIFA’s claims that the Nova Scotia Department of Environment overlooked various environmental protection measures while reviewing and approving the environmental monitoring program for FORCE and Cape Sharp Tidal.

Named in the application filed in July 2016, are the Minister of Environment, the Attorney General, FORCE and Cape Sharp Tidal Venture, The Chronicle Herald reports.

Cape Sharp Tidal plans to complete the 4MW tidal array in the Bay of Fundy with the installation of the second turbine scheduled to take place later this year.