Harnessing the Wind: The Potential of Offshore Wind Energy in Eastern Canada

Written by: Sonja Matthews 

Edited by: Ada Collins

Since announcing its goal to reach net-zero emissions by 2050, Canada has been searching for clean energy solutions to power the country. Atlantic Canada has become a spotlight for green energy, boasting one of the fastest growing clean-energy sectors in North America (Government of Canada, 2024). With interest in offshore oil and gas beginning to wane (CCI, 2023), offshore wind generation is beginning to take center stage for the region’s future energy plans. 

Currently there are no operational offshore wind projects in Canada, however, that is not to say that there is no future for harnessing wind. Offshore wind turbines, anchored up to 30 meters below surface and several kilometers away from shore, harness powerful oceanic wind speeds to generate a renewable form of electricity. Despite Canada just beginning to dip its toes into offshore wind production, this energy source is far from being new. Other countries, such as China, Germany, the U.K. and Denmark, have already capitalized on this form of energy, with just under three hundred projects already in operation worldwide (US Department of Energy, 2024). With the longest coastline in the world—reaching over 200 thousand kilometers—Canada has “immense” potential to become a major player in the global offshore wind energy market (NRCan, 2025). 

New wind regulations shaping the future of energy in the Maritimes

Currently, regulation of offshore areas, including offshore renewable energy, falls under the purview of Canada’s federal government, subject to the rights of Indigenous communities. Provincial governments may also have overview of these areas, depending on their current jurisdiction. Ten years ago, Nova Scotia passed the Marine Renewable-energy Act, where it identified priority areas for development of marine renewable energy within the nearshore regions it retains jurisdiction over. In 2022, Nova Scotia incorporated wind energy into its long-term energy strategy, setting a target to lease 5 gigawatts of offshore wind energy by 2030. The following year, in 2023, regional assessments began in Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, and Labrador, where committees began consultation with local actors to gain input surrounding future offshore wind development projects in the region (West Coast Environmental Law, 2023). For regions further offshore, the federal government had previously entered into Offshore Accords with the provincial governments of Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador, to jointly manage oil and gas projects. However, with the interest in future offshore wind generation, these accords must be expanded to permit development of offshore energy projects, including offshore wind. 

On January 31, 2025, the Government of Canada announced the ‘coming into force’ of this legislation. Named Bill-C49, it progressed the development of offshore energy for the first time in Canada  (Government of Canada, 2025). This bill gives oversight of offshore energy, in particular wind energy, to the newly renamed offshore energy regulators for Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland and Labrador. Provincial legislation is also required to enable this joint development of wind energy between the federal and provincial governments. This legislation was announced on the same date in Nova Scotia, whereas Newfoundland and Labrador are expected to announce legislation later in the year to enable joint management. 

 “With the coming into force of Bill C-49 in Nova Scotia, Canada is positioned to seize the enormous economic opportunity offshore wind presents to Atlantic Canadians. It will strengthen the economy, enable the creation of thousands of jobs and attract billions in investments. Today’s announcement is another leap forward for Canada to become the global supplier of choice for energy and clean technology.” 

— The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, current Minister of Energy and Natural 

Resources, January 31st, 2025 

What is offshore wind? 

Offshore wind is power generated by strong winds that blow across the ocean. Offshore wind farms consist of wind turbines anchored deep in the ocean, often several kilometers away from shore, which produce electricity that is then distributed to the power grid. Offshore wind can even measure up to solar energy, being much less variable than solar (Canadian Climate Institute, 2024). Compared to onshore wind power, offshore wind power has greater and more consistent production of electricity. Offshore power is also often seen as less controversial, due to it having less impact on people and landscape scenery — a factor that partially justified a seven-month moratorium in Alberta on new renewable energy projects, including onshore wind. Despite concerns around its onshore cousin, offshore wind generation is one of the fastest-growing energy sources in the world (Government of Nova Scotia, 2024). In fact, the Canadian Climate Institute estimated that offshore wind has a potential of reaching over 420 thousand terawatt hours per year, worldwide. This is more than 17 times the worldwide demand of electricity in 2022 (IEA, 2022). 

Nova Scotia: a prime location for offshore wind power

When speaking of pure generation potential, Nova Scotia is an ideal location for offshore wind projects, boasting some of the top wind speeds in the world. At around nine to eleven meters per second, Nova Scotia has almost the same wind speed as the North Sea, the birthplace of the entire offshore wind sector. Beyond its wind, the waters off the province also have a large continental shelf, an ideal feature to facilitate construction of wind turbine platforms. Nova Scotia’s government also pitches its underutilized, deep harbors that don’t tend to freeze, and its geographical proximity to international European markets, two other key selling points in the province’s favour for future wind energy development. All of these factors have led the government of Nova Scotia to begin making significant strides to build momentum around offshore wind projects off its coast, releasing the Nova Scotia Offshore Wind Roadmap in 2023 to guide potential routes-to-market. 

The need for more renewable energy

Canada’s national emissions target is to achieve net zero by 2050, established in 2021 through the Canada Net-Zero Emissions Accountability Act (IEA 2022). However, this nationwide push for more renewable energy will need a huge increase in renewable energy production. This is where offshore wind can come in, at least for Eastern Canada. Projections from the Canada Energy Regulator expect that for Canada to reach its target, renewable energy production must double by 2050. Following this scenario, more than half of this energy is projected to come from wind energy—marking an increase seven times higher than current production—with the rest generated from other renewables including nuclear, hydro, solar, biomass and geothermal. Projections from the International Energy Association support this need for wind energy in Canada, where a 2022 report shows wind as a “major contributor” to Canada’s energy mix to meet climate and energy targets for 2050. Atlantic offshore wind is poised to meet this need, with the Canadian Climate Institute stating that Maritime offshore wind projects would be capable of generating “massive” amounts of green energy to Canada’s electrical grids “as far west as Ontario” (Canadian Climate Institute, 2024). 

Research and projects already underway

The National Research Canada has been busy preparing for future offshore energy projects over the past few years, with a research team already researching seafloor characteristics, underwater processes and other details to identify potential locations for wind turbine foundations to be built in the future. The aspiration from this research is to minimize the impact of the turbines on the coast’s marine ecosystem, while also ensuring durability and stability of wind turbine construction. 

Looking to the future, Nova Scotia is seen to be “leading” Canada’s ambitions for offshore wind energy generation (NRCan, 2025). “Offshore wind energy could be for Atlantic Canada what oil was to Texas, or hydro to Quebec”, said a policy analyst to The Financial Times. The province is attempting to live up to these lofty aspirations, announcing in 2024 that it plans to open bidding for leasing of seabeds beginning as early as this year. Looking forwards, there is currently only one offshore wind energy project underway, the Nova East Wind project. Proposed to be built off the coast of Goldboro, Nova Scotia, the project is a partnership between Dutch corporation SBM Offshore and Ireland’s DP Energy Canada. It plans to construct 20 to 25 anchored wind turbines and has already signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi’kmaw Chiefs, stating a desire to construct the venture in a sustainable manner (BLG, 2024). 

Wind energy driving Canada to be an “energy superpower”?

As the demand for renewable energy grows, the pressing question is: how can Canada make this a reality? It is clear that the federal government and the east coast are betting big on offshore wind, recognizing its potential. In fact, the power offshore wind could generate exceeds the current energy needs of the maritime region, raising critical questions about how to integrate it into energy grids as far as Ontario (Canadian Climate Institute, 2024). Offshore renewable energy has been promised as a ‘generational economic opportunity’ for Canada, now it’s time to see if it can deliver.

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