Province Releases Offshore Wind Road Map

A new offshore wind road map sets Nova Scotia’s vision for the offshore wind industry and outlines the regulatory path for businesses to invest in projects.

“Nova Scotia offers some of the best offshore wind resources in the world, with ample capacity to serve both local and international green hydrogen markets,” said Tory Rushton, Minister of Natural Resources and Renewables. “We will use this geography to our advantage in our pursuit of offshore wind as one of many solutions to help fight climate change and grow our green economy. This is an exciting opportunity for Nova Scotia.”

Last fall, Premier Tim Houston announced a target to offer seabed leases for five gigawatts of offshore wind energy by 2030. The road map will help achieve that goal.

The Nova Scotia Offshore Wind Roadmap is being released in three stages. The first module explains Nova Scotia’s approach to site selection, seabed licences and support mechanisms. It also provides options for interested parties to share their input for future modules.

The second module will be released in the spring of 2024 and will focus on supply chain, infrastructure and clean inclusive growth opportunities.

Engagement on offshore wind power is already underway, and the third module, to be released in the fall of 2024, will focus on feedback from Mi’kmaq and Indigenous peoples from other communities, the fisheries industry, environmental organizations, academia, community groups, workers, the research community, ocean users and other interested parties. Module 3 will also consider input gathered through the federal-provincial regional assessment of offshore wind development, announced in March. Engagement will continue after the third module is released.

The road map project is funded through the Province’s climate plan – Our Climate, Our Future: Nova Scotia’s Climate Change Plan for Clean Growth. The plan will help create a cleaner and more sustainable future for all Nova Scotians by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, improving energy efficiency and helping homes and buildings become more resilient to the impacts of climate change.

Quotes:

“Investors around the world are looking to Canada for opportunities to build a net-zero economy – including by deploying renewable energy technologies. Today's announcement of Nova Scotia’s offshore wind road map is an important step towards growing the economy, protecting the environment, and creating good jobs for Nova Scotians.”

– Jonathan Wilkinson, federal Minister of Natural Resources

“The Nova Scotia Offshore Wind Roadmap is an important milestone in creating a sustainable offshore wind industry for Nova Scotia. It emphasizes the importance of data collection and data-based decision-making in understanding how best to develop offshore wind as a source of clean energy for the province. The approach must be co-operative, and the road map will help ensure the involvement of rights holders and interested parties, including Mi’kmaq and Indigenous peoples from other communities, environmental organizations, fisheries, workers, academia, and community groups.”

– Alisdair McLean, Executive Director, Net Zero Atlantic

Quick Facts:

• wind speeds off Nova Scotia are world class, rivalling even the winds of the North Sea where the offshore wind sector started
• offshore wind has the potential to help Nova Scotia and Canada achieve climate change goals and support a global transition to a low-carbon energy
• the mandate and name of the Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board are being expanded to regulate offshore wind projects
• the board will ensure offshore wind projects meet all safety and environmental requirements
• Nova Scotia is committed to responsible development of its natural resources, balancing environmental, social and economic interests

Additional Resources:

Nova Scotia’s offshore wind road map is available at: https://novascotia.ca/offshore-wind/

Comments on the road map and requests for additional information can be submitted to: MarineRenewables@novascotia.ca

News release – Province Sets Offshore Wind Target: https://novascotia.ca/news/release/?id=20220920003

Nova Scotia’s climate change plan: https://climatechange.novascotia.ca/sites/default/files/uploads/ns-climate-change-plan.pdf

Environmental Goals and Climate Change Reduction Act: https://nslegislature.ca/legc/bills/64th_1st/1st_read/b057.htm

Federal-provincial regional assessment of offshore wind: https://iaac-aeic.gc.ca/050/evaluations/proj/83514