Offshore wind industry in Atlantic Canada could make region energy powerhouse: report

Atlantic Canada is poised to harness the area's offshore wind to become a global leader in renewable energy, according to a new report, generating more renewable electricity than the region consumes annually.

Catching the Wind: How Atlantic Canada Can Become an Energy Superpower is a report from Ottawa-based think-tank Public Policy Forum. It highlights the relatively shallow waters off the coast of Nova Scotia's Sable Island as a prime location for offshore wind development.

The Sable Island Bank alone could accommodate at least 1,000 offshore turbines, each with a capacity of 15 megawatts. That adds up to around 70,000 gigawatt hours, "enough to supply 6.5 million average Canadian homes, or almost twice the total electricity currently consumed in Atlantic Canada annually."

"We are talking here not of something incremental, but monumental," the report adds.

The report also says Canada is behind on utilizing the power of one of the world's "longest and windiest coastlines," and there are no turbines, either under construction or operating, in its offshore waters. Other jurisdictions, including China, the United Kingdom and the United States, have all installed offshore wind turbines, with plans to make further investments into offshore wind capacity.

Peter Nicholson, author of the report and chair of the Canadian Climate Institute's board of directors, said in an interview with CBC News there's "a tremendous economic opportunity" in investing in offshore wind power for the region, there's also a national opportunity in "decarbonizing" the country's energy system to combat climate change.

"The wind blows strong, consistently and there are areas offshore where it is very feasible to install very large numbers of wind turbines," Nicholson said of Atlantic Canada, "and there really aren't many other places in Canada where that opportunity exists."

Nicholson said while the country has a "clean" energy grid, by international standards, more work will need to be done to meet greenhouse gas targets, following Canada's commitment to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. And offshore wind development is a key part of reaching that goal.

While the report paints an exciting picture of what wind power in Canada could look like, some environmentalists have questions about the scale of potential offshore projects.

Brenna Walsh, senior energy co-ordinator with the Halifax-based Ecology Action Centre, said the group is excited to hear the potential of offshore wind projects and it's important to consider the total impacts of such a huge project and planning offshore wind farms in places where environmental impacts are reduced.

Walsh said forging ahead with this kind of project means "thinking about kind of what the scale of that industry may look like, what can be accommodated and how it can benefit the electricity system, but also that strikes that balance."

Walsh said the effort could use help from the federal government in mapping the best areas for offshore projects in Atlantic Canada

The report also notes that wind energy projects are costly. That could be offset by a government-backed, guaranteed-fixed price for energy generated over a number of years, something that was used in Europe when the offshore wind industry was in its infancy.

"I think there's been a little bit of hesitancy to jump into those projects, from the Canadian perspective, with larger costs. But I think it's becoming a lot more evident, the advantages and the ways the offshore wind could be used," Walsh said.