The Province of Nova Scotia is getting the necessary paperwork in place for moving ahead with offshore wind development.
“We’re working hard to develop our offshore wind,” said Tory Rushton, the provincial Minister of Natural Resources and Renewables, on September 12 in the Nova Scotia legislature as he moved the second reading of Bill 471, the Advancing Nova Scotia Opportunities Act.
The Bill amends several pieces of legislation, including the Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Resources Accord Implementation (Nova Scotia) Act, to mirror changes to federal legislation that expand the mandate of the Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board to include the regulation of offshore renewable energy development, improve alignment with the Impact Assessment Act (Canada), establish new tools to support marine conservation and modernize the land tenure system for offshore petroleum.
The amended legislation will expand the mandate of the Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board and change its name, said Rushton.
“The new Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Energy Regulator will regulate offshore renewable energy projects and power lines. That includes offshore wind. This is an expanded mandate, in addition to continuing its regulation of oil and gas. Other changes to the
Act clarify regulatory processes for future offshore energy projects and modernized language.”
Rushton said the first call for bids for offshore wind will go out in 2025. “We have a plan to offer licences for five gigawatts of offshore energy by 2030. Our federal counterparts are working on the legislation for regulating the new activity through Bill No. C-49. We’re confident the federal process will finish up soon, which is why we’re putting our own mirror legislation on the table now, so everything is ready to move.”
Bill 471 was passed on Sept. 20.
“The amendments to the Accord Acts allow the federal and provincial ministers of natural resources to determine the areas where offshore wind could be. I can tell you that we do not support offshore wind happening in areas that are in conflict with protected areas. Neither the federal nor the provincial governments want to develop offshore wind on Georges Bank,” said Rushton.
“I’ve given this commitment in writing to members of the fishing industry, and I will keep that commitment. Speaking with my federal counterpart this week, we both intend to keep that commitment. We’re going to make sure we effectively manage both our economic and environmental protections.”
Bill 471 also amended the Marine Renewable-Energy Act “to facilitate an interim pathway, just in case Bill C-49 does not pass in time, to proceed with a call for bids and avoid any delay. The amendments do not allow us to proceed with developing an offshore wind industry without our federal partners. We cannot do that. It just gives us a different pathway forward to pursue this industry in our jointly managed waters in time to call for bids next year. Either way, we will be working hand in hand with our federal government to establish a regulatory process and do the first call for bids for offshore wind in 2025,” said Rushton.
Meanwhile, the Regional Assessment Committee for offshore wind development in Nova Scotia was due to release its draft report on Oct. 1.
Launched in March 23 by the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada and the Province, the main purpose of the regional assessment is to contribute to the efficiency and effectiveness of future impact assessments of projects that are subject to the Impact Assessment Act. The five-member Committee has 18 months to complete its work.
The draft Regional Assessment Report will be released for public review and comment, before being finalized and submitted to the federal and provincial Ministers.
An interim report released last March identified six areas for potential future offshore wind development: Sydney Bight, Canso Bank, Middle Bank, Sable Island Bank, Emerald Bank and Eastern Shore
The draft report will be posted to the Regional Assessment Registry website for a 60-day public comment period. The final report will be submitted to Canada’s Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, and Nova Scotia’s Minister of Natural Resources and Renewables in January 2025 and will also be posted to the Regional Assessment Registry site.
