The Nova Scotia government has revoked the marine renewable-electricity licence issued to Cape Sharp Tidal after it deemed the venture no longer has the financial ability to deliver a 4MW project in the Bay of Fundy.
The Canadian province issued the license in May 2018 to the jv between Irish tidal developer Open Hydro and local utility Emera.
Cape Sharp Tidal connected a 2MW Open Hydro turbine to the Nova Scotia grid last July but the device was damaged two months later.
The machine remains at the bottom of the Minas Passage, an inlet of the Bay of Fundy.
In a statement, the Nova Scotia government said Cape Sharp Tidal is also in violation of its feed-in tariff approval and, as a result, that agreement has also been revoked.
“The company is now required to retrieve its turbine in the Minas Basin. If that does not happen in a reasonable timeframe, government will begin the process of accessing the security that remains in place,” it said.
The turbine “continues to be monitored and it presents no danger to marine life or the environment,” it added.
Emera pulled out of the Cape Sharp Tidal venture in August after Open Hydro filed for bankruptcy protection during the previous month.
