Background Report for the Fundy Tidal Energy SEA
The Background Report for the Fundy Tidal Energy SEA, prepared by Jacques Whitford, was commissioned jointly by OEER, on behalf of the Nova Scotia Department of Energy, and the New Brunswick Department of Energy to provide information on the biophysical and socio-economic environment in the Bay of Fundy region, marine renewable technologies, and potential interactions between the two.
The report was intended to help inform ongoing discussions through the SEA process, leading to the development of recommendations to address the following key questions:
- Can marine renewable energy technologies, and specifically tidal in-stream technologies, be developed in the Bay of Fundy without significant impacts on the marine ecosystem?
- Can these technologies be developed without significant socio-economic impacts on fishers and the fisheries and on other marine and coastal resource users?
- What contribution can marine renewable energy technologies make to community and regional economic development in Nova Scotia?
- Under what conditions should pilot projects be permitted?
- What ongoing research and monitoring is required to gather the information needed to make decisions about commercial developments?
- What other steps are required to determine whether, where and how commercial projects should be developed, regulated and managed?
In total, we received over 60 written submissions on the report. Some of the authors have given us permission to make their comments public. To read them, click here.