Canada to take risks on renewable energy

NOVA SCOTIA PROJECT GETTING SUBSIDIES

Millions of dollars in subsidies for a Nova Scotia tidal project is just one of the coming announcements as Ottawa boosts riskier forms of renewable energy, says the federal natural resources minister.

Amarjeet Sohi said Friday at a G7 energy ministers meeting that a $30million contribution to a $117-million tidal project to harness the immense power of the Bay of Fundy tides will be among a series of subsidies given to kickstart innovations in emerging sectors across the country.

Tidal is one of the early investments coming out of the federal Liberals’ $200million emerging renewable power program, which finished collecting requests for proposals this spring and expects to select four to six investments by the spring of 2019.

The program has received applications ranging from giant offshore wind turbines and concentrated photovoltaic solar power projects to large-scale geothermal energy projects in the West, say officials.

Meanwhile, the tidal announcement on the East Coast will be watched closely to see if it can overcome the challenges faced in harnessing the bay’s powerful tides - which have already damaged early test turbines.

The project led by Irish-based DP Energy aims to have turbines producing energy into the grid by 2020, producing enough electricity for over 2,500 homes.

“This is an investment in the future,” said Sohi on the third day of meetings between environment, oceans and energy ministers, when asked about the security of the $30 million in taxpayer investment.

“This is one announcement, and part of many other announcements that we will be making in order to foster that innovation ... to untap the potential that might otherwise go untapped if the government was not there to support it.”

Stephen Thomas, energy campaign coordinator of Halifax’s Ecology Action Centre, said in a telephone interview that environmental groups support funding of the various offshore renewable projects — with some cautions.

“Providing $30 million in support for this tidal project is still a drop in the bucket compared to the subsidies received by the fossil fuel sector, which receives hundreds of millions to billions annually from the federal government, depending on the year,” he said.

But he says it’s crucial to ensure that the latest project learns from mistakes of the past.