Following tow-testing outside Halifax harbour, the one-megawatt ‘open centre’ turbine was transported to the site of the future Fundy Ocean Research Centre for Energy (Force) in the Minas Passage, where it is now rotating with the tidal cycle.

“Today begins a very important period of testing that we believe will demonstrate that tidal energy can be part of Nova Scotia’s renewable energy future,” said NSP chief executive Rob Bennett.

The 400-tonne ‘open centre’ turbine, which rests on the seabed mated to a subsea gravity base structure, will now undergo a period of testing and data collection.

The tidal range in the Bay of Fundy is the largest in the world, with 115 billion tonnes of water flowing in and out of the bay every 12 hours.