UK-headquartered Inyanga Marine Energy Group to boost renewable energy development in Canada

UK-headquartered Inyanga Marine Energy Group has announced that it has set up a new office in Canada to help drive the development of offshore renewable energy in the country.

The Group operates a highly experienced and specialised team of offshore engineers from their head office in Falmouth, UK. The company also has offices in Rennes, France, and Anglesey, Wales – and now Nova Scotia, Canada.

The new company is called Inyanga Maritime Services Nova Scotia Limited, based in Halifax Nova Scotia.

Kiley Sampson has been appointed as Vice President of the Canadian division and will establish a local team to provide offshore operations and engineering capability to the region.

Kiley Sampson said:

“We plan to develop a consortium including local Canadian partners to develop, fund and deploy tidal energy capacity in the Bay of Fundy, using the HydroWing tidal energy technology. The potential for tidal energy and fixed and floating offshore wind in Nova Scotia is immense and we are poised to seize the opportunity and make it happen.”

Marine engineering and offshore operations support to the marine renewable energy industry in Canada

The new company will provide marine engineering and offshore operations support to the marine renewable energy industry in Canada, across both the offshore wind and tidal energy sectors.

Nova Scotia is well positioned to capitalize on the economic benefits associated with tidal energy. The province has over 300 ocean technology firms – the largest concentration in North America. Many of the small- and medium-sized enterprises with proven capabilities in environmental research, resource assessment, fabrication, and innovative design are already engaged in the tidal energy sector.

Commenting on the opening of the Canadian office, Richard Parkinson, CEO of Inyanga Marine Energy Group, said:

“Nova Scotia’s Bay of Fundy has been identified by the California-based Electric Power Research Institute as one of the best potential sites in North America for tidal power generation. Our ambition is to unlock the full potential of the Bay of Fundy and provide low cost, reliable renewable energy to Canada.”

The Bay of Fundy’s huge tidal energy resource contains more than four times the combined flow of every freshwater river in the world, with the potential to generate approximately 2,500 MW of green energy.

Nova Scotia is also set to establish a major offshore wind sector including floating and fixed bottom mounted wind farms. Offshore wind speeds in Nova Scotia are among the best in the world, between 9 m/sec and 11 m/sec.

Richard Parkinson continued:

“Recently, a report from the regional assessment committee tasked by the Canadian government to define the offshore wind potential in Nova Scotia was released. It describes eight potential development areas for offshore wind that cover a total of 31,200 square kilometres. The opportunity for offshore wind is enormous. Many developers are now being attracted to the region and with our proven track record in fixed and floating offshore wind projects in France and the UK, we can help accelerate the growth of the offshore energy industry.”

Inyanga Marine Energy Group develops cutting-edge solutions for the global offshore renewables industry via two divisions:

• HydroWing, which focuses on tidal energy technology development
• Inyanga Maritime, which delivers offshore engineering and installation.

Using its patented tidal energy technology, HydroWing, Inyanga has recently been awarded a contract to develop the first tidal energy plant in Southeast Asia as well as awarded a binding agreement to develop the first tidal energy plant in Indonesia.

Inyanga also has a UK Government ‘Contract for Difference’ for a 20MW tidal energy project at Morlais in Wales and recently took over operations of the iconic D10 tidal turbine, the first operational tidal turbine in France.

The company is aiming to advance through to deployment their innovative patented tidal energy converter, HydroWing, to provide cost-effective, reliable, and predictable power to communities around the globe.

Potential for tidal energy in Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia is home to the Bay of Fundy, where roughly 160 billion tonnes of water flow twice a day.

Tides moving from the outer Bay into the smaller Minas Basin can reach peak surface speeds of 5-6 metres per second, and rise up to 17 metres vertically – the height of a five- storey building. The flow of each tide delivers a commercial potential of approximately 2,500 megawatts (MW) of power, equivalent to the peak consumption of energy used in Nova Scotia.

Nova Scotians have long been aware of the power of the Bay of Fundy, building tidal mills as early as 1607, and constructing a tidal power plant in 1984 in Annapolis Royal – one of only three in the world. The Fundy tides developed responsibly could play a much larger role in Nova Scotia’s energy future.

Nova Scotia is well positioned to capitalize on the economic benefits associated with tidal energy. The province has over 300 ocean technology firms – the largest concentration in North America. Many of the small- and medium-sized enterprises with proven capabilities in environmental research, resource assessment, fabrication, and innovative design are already engaged in the tidal energy sector.

Offshore wind in Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia’s offshore wind speeds are world-class and rival the winds of the North Sea, where the world’s offshore wind sector started. The province has a unique opportunity to transition to clean energy by harnessing offshore wind energy resources. Nova Scotia sits on a large continental shelf with vast areas of relatively shallow water that are ideal for floating and fixed wind platforms.

In 2024, the Nova Scotia Government issued its Clean Power Plan, with a goal of phasing out coal and reaching 80% renewables by 2030. Post-2030 it sees offshore wind projects coming forward to continue the push towards Net Zero. Nova Scotia plans to offer leases for 5 gigawatts of offshore wind energy by 2030, with a first call for bids by 2025.

Nova Scotia and the federal government have started a regional assessment for offshore wind – a draft final report from the regional assessment committee was issued in November 2024 to identify where and how offshore wind projects can be optimally developed. It describes eight potential development areas that cover a total of 31,200 square kilometres, stretching from the tip of George's Bank southwest of Nova Scotia, up the Atlantic coastline and around Cape Breton Island.

The potential development areas are:

• Sydney Bight, 1,435 square kilometres.
• French Bank, 2,855 square kilometres.
• Middle Bank, 1,445 square kilometres.
• Sable Island Bank, 5,620 square kilometres.
• Western/Emerald Bank 13,170 square kilometres.
• Misaine Bank, 2,830 square kilometres.
• LaHave Bank, 3,415 square kilometres.
• Canso Bank, 430 square kilometres.