Editing Tidal power (section)

== US and Canadian studies in the 20th century ==
The first study of large scale tidal power plants was by the US [[Federal Power Commission]] in 1924. If built, power plants would have been located in the northern border area of the US state of [[Maine]] and the southeastern border area of the Canadian province of New Brunswick, with various dams, powerhouses, and ship locks enclosing the [[Bay of Fundy]] and [[Passamaquoddy Bay]] (note: see map in reference). Nothing came of the study, and it is unknown whether Canada had been approached about the study by the US Federal Power Commission.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=zigDAAAAMBAJ&dq=Popular+Science+1933+plane+%22Popular+Science%22&pg=PA29 "Niagara's Power From The Tides"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150321092258/http://books.google.com/books?id=zigDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA29&dq=Popular+Science+1933+plane+%22Popular+Science%22&hl=en&ei=MIb5TZaFEajx0gGxtaHPAw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CDUQ6AEwAzhQ |date=2015-03-21 }} May 1924 ''Popular Science Monthly''</ref>

In 1956, utility [[Nova Scotia Light and Power]] of [[Halifax, Nova Scotia|Halifax]] commissioned a pair of studies into commercial tidal power development feasibility on the [[Nova Scotia]] side of the Bay of Fundy. The two studies, by [[Stone & Webster]] of [[Boston]] and by [[Montreal Engineering Company]] of [[Montreal]], independently concluded that millions of horsepower (i.e. gigawatts) could be harnessed from Fundy but that development costs would be commercially prohibitive.<ref>Nova Scotia Light and Power Company, Limited, Annual Report, 1956</ref>

There was also a report on the international commission in April 1961 entitled "Investigation of the International Passamaquoddy Tidal Power Project" produced by both the US and Canadian Federal Governments. According to benefit to costs ratios, the project was beneficial to the US but not to Canada. 

A study was commissioned by the Canadian & Nova Scotian and New Brunswick governments (Reassessment of Fundy Tidal Power) to determine the potential for tidal barrages at Chignecto Bay and Minas Basin – at the end of the Fundy Bay estuary. There were three sites determined to be financially feasible: Shepody Bay (1550&nbsp;MW), Cumberland Basin (1085&nbsp;MW), and Cobequid Bay (3800&nbsp;MW). These were never built despite their apparent feasibility in 1977.<ref>{{Citation |first=Jen |last=Chang |title=Hydrodynamic Modeling and Feasibility Study of Harnessing Tidal Power at the Bay of Fundy |publisher=University of Southern California |location=Los Angeles |date=2008 |section=6.1 |type=PhD thesis |url=http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/assetserver/controller/item/etd-Chang-20080312.pdf |access-date=2011-09-27 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121122141719/http://digitallibrary.usc.edu/assetserver/controller/item/etd-Chang-20080312.pdf |archive-date=2012-11-22 |bibcode=2008PhDT.......107C }}</ref>