10 November 2025
Eauclaire Tidal and Orbital Marine Power receive vote of confidence for Canadian tidal stream expansion
Partnership secures a further 12.5MW of marine energy licences from the Province of Nova Scotia for tidal stream energy deployments at the Fundy Ocean Research Centre for Energy (FORCE) in the Bay of Fundy, Nova Scotia.
Eauclaire Tidal Ltd. ("Eauclaire") and Orbital Marine Power Ltd. ("Orbital") have been selected as the sole awardees of new tidal energy licenses under the Province of Nova Scotia's 2025 tidal energy procurement process. The partnership has been granted an additional 12.5 MW of capacity through two 15-year power purchase contracts, along with associated seabed and electrical infrastructure connection rights at FORCE.
This expands the partnership's contracted pipeline supporting the installation of six Orbital O2-X tidal turbines across the existing FORCE facility in the Minas Passage. Once operational, each turbine will produce around 180GWh of predictable, clean energy over the 15-year contract period.
This represents Orbital's largest project outside the United Kingdom and a major step toward harnessing the power of the Bay of Fundy, one of the most powerful tidal resources in the world, to deliver reliable, emissions-free energy for Nova Scotia.
Eauclaire and Orbital have been working as co-sponsors of tidal stream energy projects in Nova Scotia since 2023. Orbital, through its continued investment in Eauclaire, will co-own and operate the projects and perform the role of EPC contractor for the delivery of its six O2-X turbines.
Jane Lowrie, President of Eauclaire, said: "Our partnership will deliver reliable, emissions-free electricity to the Nova Scotia power grid from the Bay of Fundy, which is known to be one of the best tidal energy resources in the world.
"We look forward to working with our First Nation partners and local communities to build a strong tidal power industrial base that will create specialised, permanent employment opportunities right here in Nova Scotia. We greatly appreciate the support from the Nova Scotia government that has got us to this stage."
Vice-President of Eauclaire, Jennifer Lewis, said: "Our plan is to deploy these tidal generation units to help Nova Scotia achieve its emission reduction targets, including decreasing reliance on coal-fired generation, while creating sustainable employment opportunities for Nova Scotia Residents."
Andrew Scott, Orbital Marine Power CEO said: "This tremendous news provides the critical first steps in an exciting, scalable vision for Orbital to work with our partners, investors, supply chain and public sector stakeholders across Nova Scotia and Canada to capture the huge sustainable benefits that can flow from harnessing the clean energy that moves like clockwork through the Bay of Fundy."
This latest award marks an important milestone for both companies and for the wider marine energy sector in Canada. It demonstrates growing investor confidence in tidal stream technology as a dependable component of the clean-energy mix and signals Nova Scotia's emergence as a global hub for commercial-scale tidal power. With government, industry, and community partners aligned, Eauclaire and Orbital are now advancing plans toward first deployment and to play a significant role in building a tidal energy industry in Nova Scotia.
ENDS
About Orbital Marine Power Ltd.
Orbital Marine Power (Orbital) is a visionary Scottish renewable energy company focused on the global application of its pioneering floating turbine technology that can supply predictable power from tidal streams and ocean currents, every day, regardless of the weather. Orbital's innovative approach lowers manufacturing and installation costs while allowing fast, cost-effective maintenance of all major turbine components. The company's O2, the world's most powerful and advanced tidal turbine, commenced power generation in July 2021 in Orkney. The O2 is a 2MW+ product capable of providing utility-scale, clean energy whilst supporting a just transition through the creation of sustainable, quality jobs throughout the project lifecycle.
The company has an established portfolio of tidal stream projects supported by a growing global pipeline of multi-gigawatt opportunities.
More information about Orbital can be found here: www.orbitalmarine.com
Media contact: Sarah Clark, Marketing & Media Manager: [email protected]
About Eauclaire Tidal Ltd.
Eauclaire is a Canadian tidal power developer in partnership with Orbital, with over a decade of dedication and experience in this power generation endeavour. Comprised of several seasoned energy professionals who believe strongly in the capacity of reliable and predictable power generation from the forces in our coastal resources, Eauclaire remains committed to near-term, commercial deployments of proven Orbital technologies in its target Berth locations here and abroad.
Media Contact: Jennifer Lewis, Vice President: [email protected]
About FORCE and Bay of Fundy
FORCE is Canada's lead facility for tidal stream energy research and demonstration, located in Minas Passage, Bay of Fundy, home to the world's highest tides. The Bay of Fundy sees around 160 billion tons of water flow in and out of the bay each tide and is home to the highest tidal range in the world, reaching up to 16 meters. Minas Passage itself is estimated to have 2,500MW of extractable tidal power potential.
Since 2009, FORCE has built the electrical infrastructure to allow devices to deliver an initial 30MW of clean energy to the provincial grid, and in partnership with many organisations, conducted and published research, monitoring and risk assessment to better understand the marine environment and the role tidal energy can play in Canada's energy future.