The Annapolis Royal Generating Station was a

tidal power Tidal power or tidal energy is harnessed by converting energy from tides into useful forms of power, mainly electricity using various methods. Although not yet widely used, tidal energy has the potential for future electricity generation. Ti ...

generating station in the Bay of Fundy in

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. When operational, it was the only tidal generating station in North America and was one of the few in the world. Located upstream of Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia, it generated about 30 million kilowatt hours per year, enough for 4500 houses. Peak output was 20 megawatts. The station was shut down in April 2019, after the Canadian Science Advisory Secretariat found substantial fish mortality caused by the turbine, and a crucial component failed within the generating system. For example, research from the 1980s showed almost one quarter of the American shad passing through were killed. The station operated 34 years, mostly with minimal regulatory scrutiny. A causeway on the

Annapolis River The Annapolis River (french: Rivière Annapolis) is a Canadian river located in Nova Scotia's Annapolis Valley. Geography Measuring 120 kilometres in length, the river flows southwest through the western part of the valley from its source in Carib ...

created a

reservoir A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation. Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...

which powered a

water turbine A water turbine is a rotary machine that converts kinetic energy and potential energy of water into mechanical work. Water turbines were developed in the 19th century and were widely used for industrial power prior to electrical grids. Now, ...

. Sluice gates in the causeway allowed the reservoir to be refilled by the incoming tide, and retain the water in the reservoir when the tide recedes. Power was only generated when the tide was out, for about five hours, twice a day. Construction began in 1980, and it opened in 1984. It was constructed by Nova Scotia Power, at the time a provincial crown corporation. 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 rock-filled causeway which had been built on the Annapolis River in 1960 by the Maritime Marshlands Reclamation 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 causeway housed the power house and sluice gates. The blocking of water flow by the causeway has resulted in increased river bank erosion on both the upstream and downstream sides. The causeway is also known as a trap for marine life. In 2004, a mature

humpback whale The humpback whale (''Megaptera novaeangliae'') is a species of baleen whale. It is a rorqual (a member of the family Balaenopteridae) and is the only species in the genus ''Megaptera''. Adults range in length from and weigh up to . The hu ...

swam through the open sluice gate at slack tide, ending up trapped for several days in the upper part of the river before eventually finding its way out.

References

{{Portal, Canada, Water, Renewable energy Energy infrastructure completed in 1984 Nova Scotia Power Tidal barrages Tidal power stations in Nova Scotia Buildings and structures in Annapolis County, Nova Scotia