Tidal energy company gets new name and new CEO

Nova Scotia’s Occurrent Power, formerly known as BigMoon Power, has rebranded and appointed its new CEO, Jay McKenna.

The rebranding to Occurrent Power aligns with the company’s goal of providing zero-emissions power to coastal communities, offering environmental and economic benefits for stakeholders and capital partners, said Occurrent Power.

“We are excited to launch Occurrent Power and continue the work of BigMoon and its founder Lynn Blodgett to develop sustainable energy solutions that harness the natural flow of ocean currents and tides,” said McKenna. 

“Our ocean tides carry up to 800 terawatt-hours of energy per year, enough to power more than 50 million homes or 120 million electric vehicles. We see real promise in converting this potential into cost competitive zero emission power for coastal communities.”

Occurrent Power’s first facility, under an existing power purchase agreement with Nova Scotia Power, will be at the Fundy Ocean Research Centre for Energy (FORCE) in the Minas Passage, Bay of Fundy.

Procurement administrator Power Advisory LLC picked BigMoon as an applicant to fill the vacant berth at FORCE, back in September 2020. 

BigMoon Power’s founder, Lynn Blodgett, said: “Jay brings a level of expertise in the energy industry as well as knowledge of capital markets that will help propel Occurrent to the next level and beyond. The new branding effectively communicates the company mission with greater clarity. I am excited to see the company moving forward in such a progressive manner.”

Occurrent Power plans to deploy additional facilities to meet the clean power needs of tens of thousands of households across Atlantic Canada and North America.

“Occurrent Power has made incredible strides over the last few years to position itself as an industry leader in the emerging tidal sector,” said Jeremy Glick, Partner at Orion Infrastructure Capital, a lead investor in Occurrent Power. 

“We are thrilled about the Company’s direction and trajectory going forward, especially as Atlantic Canada moves its grid to increasingly cleaner sources of energy.”

Occurrent Power’s patented surface-based technology converts tidal energy into renewable electricity, reportedly with minimal impact on sea life and the ocean environment. Unlike tidal turbines, Occurrent’s systems are said to be designed for easy deployment and maintenance.

In 2022, the company was part of research aimed at better understanding how fish move through the Minas Passage and calculating the risk that they may encounter a tidal energy device.