Province in no rush to retrieve former Cape Sharp turbine from Bay of Fundy

The Nova Scotia government appears to be in no rush to take action on a massive tidal turbine it ordered removed from the Bay of Fundy in April.

Energy Minister Derek Mombourquette told reporters Thursday the former Cape Sharp turbine is fine where it is for the time being.

"It's not spinning," he said Thursday. "It's in a safe state.

"There's no threat to marine life and we continue to look for solutions to eventually retrieve [it]."

Conditions to remove the turbine are best in the spring or fall, but Mombourquetterefused to say if the province would try to bring it to the surface this fall or next spring.

No timeline

"We're not putting a timeline on it now," he said.

Despite the fact OpenHydro, the Irish company behind the project, and its Canadian partner,Emera, have walked away from the turbine, Mombourquette denied it was now left to the province to retrieve it.

"No, that is not the conclusion that has been reached," said Mombourquette. "What I have said from the beginning is that we're going to look at private-sector partnership solutions."

The minister wouldn't elaborate on what kind of arrangement the province was hoping to strike with the private companies it has been talking to about a possible partnership. He did talk about the value of the berth occupied by the turbine.

"Ideally, what we would want is a partnership to eventually retrieve the turbine, but at the same time look at the berth that is in place."

Province has $1M security

He did say the province now had the $1 million set aside by Cape Sharp as a security when it entered into an agreement with the province to test the turbine.

Mombourquettemaintains that money would cover a "significant piece" of the retrieval price tag, but he's also said the final cost would "depend on the options that will come forward, what equipment we would use eventually in the retrieval but we have that security at our disposal.

"We don't have a final number yet."

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