Japanese utility Chubu Electric Power and Japanese transport company Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd. have entered into a development agreement with DP Energy, a renewable energy developer headquartered in Ireland, for the Uisce Tapa Tidal Energy project in Nova Scotia, Canada.
This project is the first tidal energy project in which a Japanese company will participate overseas, according to Chubu Electric. It forms part of plans by all stakeholders to reach net zero by developing renewable ocean energy.
The Uisce Tapa Tidal Energy project will see three underwater turbine generators installed in the Bay of Fundy, Nova Scotia, Canada, with the aim to start the operation of the first turbine in 2023.
Hiroki Sato, Executive Officer, Corporate Planning & Strategy Division at Chubu Electric Power, said: “Uisce Tapa Tidal Generation would be a trigger Project to utilise ocean energy contributing to the global decarbonisation.”
The three 1,500kW turbines, supplied by ANDRITZ in Austria, will generate approximately 1.7GWh per year, enough to power about 5,400 homes.
The project has received CAD30 million (USD24 million) in grant funding from Natural Resources Canada and holds a 15-year Power Purchase Agreement of CAD530 (USD420)/MWh with Nova Scotia Power Incorporated.
Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha is aligning its involvement in the project with its efforts to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and decarbonise society through clean marine energy technologies.
