The Annapolis Royal Generating Station is a 20 MW tidal power

Tidal power

Tidal power, also called tidal energy, is a form of hydropower that converts the energy of tides into useful forms of power - mainly electricity....

 station located on the Annapolis River

Annapolis River

The Annapolis River 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 Caribou Bog near the villages of Aylesford and Berwick in western Kings County, to...

 immediately upstream from the town of Annapolis Royal

Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia

Annapolis Royal is a town located in the western part of Annapolis County, Nova Scotia. Known as Port Royal until the Conquest of Acadia in 1710 by Britain, the town is the oldest continuous European settlement in North America, north of St...

, Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

. It is the only tidal generating station in North America

North America

North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...

. The generating station harnesses the tidal difference created by the large tides in the Annapolis Basin

Annapolis Basin

The Annapolis Basin is a sub-basin of the Bay of Fundy, located on the southwestern shores of the bay, along the northwestern shore of Nova Scotia and at the western end of the Annapolis Valley....

, a sub-basin of the Bay of Fundy

Bay of Fundy

The Bay of Fundy is a bay on the Atlantic coast of North America, on the northeast end of the Gulf of Maine between the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, with a small portion touching the U.S. state of Maine...

. Opened in 1984, the Annapolis Royal Generating Station was constructed by Nova Scotia Power Corporation

Nova Scotia Power

Nova Scotia Power Inc. is a power generating and delivery company in Nova Scotia. It is privately owned by Emera and regulated by the provincial government via the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board .-History:...

, which was, at the time, a provincial government Crown corporation that was frequently used to socially benefit various areas in the province.

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, as well as the provincial requirement of the Department of Transportation to replace an aging steel truss bridge over the river between Annapolis Royal and Granville Ferry

Granville Ferry, Nova Scotia

Granville Ferry is a village in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, located in Annapolis County .-References:*...

. The resulting rock-filled dam carries Trunk 1 across the river, as well as housing the power house and sluice gates.

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:

• August 2004: a mature Humpback whale
  Humpback Whale
  The humpback whale is a species of baleen whale. One of the larger rorqual species, adults range in length from and weigh approximately . The humpback has a distinctive body shape, with unusually long pectoral fins and a knobbly head. It is an acrobatic animal, often breaching and slapping the...
  
   (nicknamed Sluice) 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 to the Annapolis Basin.
• Spring 2007: When a body of an immature Humpback whale was discovered near the head of tide in the river at Bridgetown
  Bridgetown, Nova Scotia
  Bridgetown is a Canadian town in Annapolis County, Nova Scotia.Situated on the Annapolis River at the head of the tide, the area saw Mi'kmaq settlements in the area, followed by Acadian settlers from Port-Royal and then British-sponsored settlements by the late 18th century.There were at least ten...
  
  . A post-mortem was inconclusive but suggested the whale had become trapped in the river after following fish through the sluice gates.