Ottawa eyes riskier areas of natural energy for funding

HALIFAX • 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 $30-million 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 kick-start innovations in emerging sectors across the country.

Tidal is one of the early investments coming out of the federal Liberals’ $200-million 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 Irishbased 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.