Commission date 1984 Nameplate capacity 20 MW | Status Operational Primary fuel Tidal | |
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Similar Jiangxia Tidal Power St, Rance Tidal Power St, Annapolis Basin, O'Dell House Museum, Sinclair Inn Museum | ||
The Annapolis Royal Generating Station is a 20 MW tidal power station located on the Annapolis River immediately upstream from the town of Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia, Canada. It is the only tidal generating station in North America. The generating station harnesses the tidal difference created by the large tides in the Annapolis Basin, a sub-basin of the Bay of Fundy. Opened in 1984, the Annapolis Royal Generating Station was constructed by Nova Scotia Power Corporation, which was, at the time, a provincial government Crown corporation that was frequently used to socially benefit various areas in the province.
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History
Tidal harnesses to generate electricity had been under discussion for the Bay of Fundy and its various sub-basins for several decades. The decision to build the facility was partly prompted by the promise of federal funding for this alternative energy project, and the existence of a dam built on the Annapolis River in 1960 by the Maritime Marshlands Reclaimation Authority to block the Bay of Fundy tides from entering the river to replace the function of the existing dykes along the river banks. The resulting rock-filled dam carries Trunk 1 across the river, as well as housing the power house and sluice gates.
Charles, Prince of Wales was scheduled to visit the facility via helicopter on 15 June 1983. He was in Halifax during a royal visit to Canada with Diana, Princess of Wales. The inspection was scrapped due to bad weather.
Harm to the environment
The project has had mixed results. While effectively generating electricity, the blocking of water flow by the dam (to allow the tidal difference to accumulate every six hours) has resulted in increased river bank erosion on both the upstream and downstream ends. The dam is also known as a trap for marine life. Two notable cases occurred in: