Canada has massive marine renewable energy resources and is making significant strides in realizing the potential of this resource. Supportive policies, shared infrastructure, and strategic research initiatives provide a solid foundation, making Canada a leader in the global marine renewable energy industry.
Information on initiatives, players, and policies in Canada’s marine renewable energy sector can be found using the tabs to the right.
Marine Renewable Energy Activity Across Canada
Test Sites and Shared Infrastructure
- TIDAL: Fundy Ocean Research Center for Energy (FORCE) is grid-connected with a 64 MW capacity, giving it the largest electrical capacity of any in-stream tidal site in the world.
- WAVE: West Coast Wave Initiative (WCWI) is co-funded by the Government of Canada, will use wind, wave and tidal data collected from a single fixed buoy, located offshore near Ucluelet, on Vancouver Island’s west coast.
- RIVER: Canadian Hydrokinetic Turbine Test Centre (CHTTC) is a partnership that joins manufacturers, turbine and fish researchers, and utilities to advance the development of river current technology in Canada. The goal of the CHTTC’s work is to deploy systems in rivers, develop the required expertise from water-to-wire, and contribute to harness a portion of the hydrokinetic river resource in Canada.
- WAVE: College of the North Atlantic’s Wave Environment Research Centre (WERC) in Newfoundland is investigating opportunities for wave energy.
- The National Research Council of Canada is a testing facility for model validations and tow tank work.
British Columbia
British Columbia Land Use Operational Policy Ocean Energy Projects
Ministry of Forests, Lands, and Natural Resource Operations (August 2011)
BC First Nations Energy Action Plan
New Brunswick
Allocation of Crown Lands for Tidal In-Stream Energy Conversion Projects (2011)
Nova Scotia
Marine Renewable Energy Act (2015)
Government of Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia – British Columbia MOU on Tidal Energy (2015)
Developmental Tidal Feed-In Tariff Program
Nova Scotia Department of Energy
Marine Renewable Energy Strategy
Government of Nova Scotia (May 2012)
Marine Renewable Energy Legislation for Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia Department of Energy (2010)