Proposed offshore wind development areas finalized as call for bids looms
Governments moving ahead with four areas off Nova Scotia's coast
Four areas off the coast of Nova Scotia have been finalized for potential offshore wind development and a call for bids is expected by the end of the year, although much work remains as the province works toward a goal of becoming a green energy superpower.
"We're taking action now to build a more resilient Nova Scotia and Canada," Premier Tim Houston said during a news conference in Halifax on Tuesday.
Officials with the provincial government announced the French Bank, Middle Bank, Sable Island Bank and Sydney Bight will all be open for development. The French Bank and Sydney Bight areas were both reduced in size following recent public feedback.
The French Bank area is 20 kilometres from shore, while the other three are 25 kilometres from land. The Sable Island Bank maintains a 25-kilometre buffer from Sable Island National Park Reserve.
With the areas established, the federal and provincial governments will provide direction to the Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Energy Regulator to begin the licensing process. Along with the call for bids, officials said there would also be continued consultation and engagement and planning to develop supply chains and a workforce.
Houston noted that some companies are already using Nova Scotia as a staging area for other offshore wind projects and he believes that, along with the potential of further development, makes the venture attractive.
"People have been waiting for this resource to get tapped."
Kim Doane, executive director of energy resource development for the provincial Energy Department, said three of the areas moving ahead have depths shallow enough to be suitable for fixed-bottom turbines, a more proven and cost-effective technology than floating turbines.
The exception is the French Bank area, which has deeper waters. Doane said that challenge is offset by it being the closest to land, which should help with the economics of potential projects.
The first call for bids will be for 2.5 gigawatts of wind energy, although the aim is to license five gigawatts by 2030. For context, Nova Scotia's peak usage is 2.4 gigawatts of electricity.
Although Houston has lobbied for even grander aspirations, pushing a project that could eventually see the generation of more than 60 gigawatts of energy, even reaching five gigawatts will require system upgrades to bring that energy to land and distribute it to various markets.
Who will pay for that is an open question, although officials Tuesday said they hope it can be some combination of companies participating in the endeavour, along with government support.
Houston has lobbied Prime Minister Mark Carney for federal help to upgrade transmission capabilities and capacity to get energy onshore and distributed to other parts of the country and potentially across the border into the United States.
Liberal MLA Iain Rankin said that's a key question the public needs more details about.
"All of this is contingent on building high-capacity transmission to different markets," he said in an interview.
Successive governments have looked at ways to improve the grid and transmission capabilities. Rankin said solving that issue early would reduce potential financial risks for the public.
Fifth area put on hold
Rankin said the government's approach at the moment is "kind of like trying to build a factory without the roads that you need to get there."
NDP energy critic Lisa Lachance said in a statement that offshore wind is an opportunity to deliver affordable, reliable, renewable energy to the province and it's important any projects benefit all Nova Scotians.
Officials also announced Tuesday that a proposed fifth energy area, Western/Emerald Bank, will not be considered until after 2030, when the first round of licences is awarded.
Doane said the decision was made because of the complexity around Western/Emerald Bank and feedback from the public. The area includes fish conservation areas, space used for national defence activities and operations, and shipping routes, all of which require more evaluation before moving forward, said Doane.
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