Nova Scotia sets five-gigawatt target for offshore wind power by 2030
Nova Scotia announced on Tuesday its intent to make offshore wind power a key driver of its future energy supply, setting a target of awarding leases for five gigawatts generated from offshore turbines by 2030.
Premier Tim Houston told reporters the ambitious plan to introduce offshore wind power would triple the province's current total energy output of 2.5 gigawatts.
"The wind is there," Houston said. "It's up to us to have the leadership and the courage to harness it."
The premier said that while Nova Scotia is in a race with other jurisdictions around the world to develop an offshore wind industry, the province has the proper wind speeds to be competitive.
According to the Department of Natural Resources, Nova Scotia is well-suited to develop offshore wind with optimal speeds of 10 to 11 metres per second dispersed across large areas of mostly shallow waters due to its continental shelf.
"Canada as a country is far behind," Houston said. "We have zero offshore wind production right now, so that's an issue. I'm focused on Nova Scotia being a leader and changing that."
He said the idea is to develop wind energy for the production of green hydrogen for use in the province and for export, adding that his government will be developing a green hydrogen action plan to be released in 2023.
Newfoundland and Labrador, which is also home to some of the strongest winds in Canada, lifted a moratorium on offshore wind development in April. Prominent Atlantic region businessman John Risley is leading a proposal for a wind-powered hydrogen and ammonia production facility based in Stephenville, N.L.
Houston said Newfoundland and Labrador's ambition is not in conflict with Nova Scotia's.
"We want to promote the region," he said. "They have potential, we have potential ... we have to get the regulations in place and are working closely with the federal government to make sure we do that."
The authority that regulates offshore gas development in the province is the Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board, which in April announced its intent to expand its mandate into offshore renewable energy. It's not clear exactly when Ottawa and the province will align their offshore legislation and regulations to make wind development possible, but officials said it could happen by sometime next year.
Houston said his province plans to issue its first call for tenders through a competitive bid process by 2025, with all offshore leases awarded by 2030. The premier added that the industry will be developed in consultation with the province's First Nations and with the fishing industry.
David Timm, global head of public affairs with Toronto-based offshore wind company Northland Power Inc., said Nova Scotia's call for five gigawatts in development is on par with projects seen in Europe and Asia.
"Five gigawatts is a great start in terms of driving toward that scale of projects that will drive down project economics and keep us competitive," Timm said.
He said it's hard to say at this point how many turbines will be needed because the size of the technology is constantly evolving.
Four years ago, the industry was building eight-megawatt turbines, and now it is planning 14-megawatt turbines -- "and growing," Timm said, adding that the industry is moving toward producing more energy with fewer turbines.
"And by the time we are out in the water in Nova Scotia, who knows where that (project scale) will go," he said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 20, 2022.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
W5 Investigates A 'ticking time bomb': Inside Syria's toughest prison holding accused high-ranking ISIS members
In the last of a three-part investigation, W5's Avery Haines was given rare access to a Syrian prison, where thousands of accused high-ranking ISIS members are being held.
'Mayday!': New details emerge after Boeing plane makes emergency landing at Mirabel airport
New details suggest that there were communication issues between the pilots of a charter flight and the control tower at Montreal's Mirabel airport when a Boeing 737 made an emergency landing on Wednesday.
Federal government posts $13B deficit in first half of the fiscal year
The Finance Department says the federal deficit was $13 billion between April and September.
Weather warnings for snow, wind issued in several parts of Canada
Winter is less than a month away, but parts of Canada are already projected to see winter-like weather.
Canadian news publishers suing ChatGPT developer OpenAI
A coalition of Canadian news publishers is suing OpenAI for using news content to train its ChatGPT generative artificial intelligence system.
Cucumbers sold in Ontario, other provinces recalled over possible salmonella contamination
A U.S. company is recalling cucumbers sold in Ontario and other Canadian provinces due to possible salmonella contamination.
Nick Cannon says he's seeking help for narcissistic personality disorder
Nick Cannon has spoken out about his recent diagnosis of narcissistic personality disorder, saying 'I need help.'
BREAKING Supreme Court affirms constitutionality of B.C. law on opioid health costs recovery
Canada's top court has affirmed the constitutionality of a law that would allow British Columbia to pursue a class-action lawsuit against opioid providers on behalf of other provinces, the territories and the federal government.
Real GDP per capita declines for 6th consecutive quarter, household savings rise
Statistics Canada says the economy grew at an annualized pace of one per cent during the third quarter, in line with economists' expectations.