The Committee for the Regional Assessment of Offshore Wind Development in Nova Scotia has submitted its Final Regional Assessment Report to federal and provincial ministers.
The 535-page report contains extensive theme-based recommendations on addressing the development and management of an offshore wind industry in Nova Scotia, including existing knowledge gaps and necessary research; socio-economic feasibility and consequences; project development; coexistence and compensation; cumulative effects; governance and education and training.
“The Committee’s report is based on extensive engagement completed during 2023 and 2024, research and expert input provided throughout the regional assessment process up to the end of the public comment period for the draft report on December 20, 2024,” reads the letter from the committee to Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change Canada, Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources and Trevor Boudreau, Nova Scotia Minister of Energy.
The regional assessment, which focused on a 300,000 km2 study area, identified eight potential development areas (PDA): Sydney Bight, French Bank, Middle Bank, Sable Island Bank, Western/Emerald Bank, Misaine Bank, LaHave Basin and Canso Bank.
As part of the assessment process, an industry survey was done to solicit information regarding the location and types of offshore wind development projects that prospective developers are contemplating in the region.
“The highest level of interest was expressed in Middle Bank, by five developers, followed by Sable Island Bank, with four and Sydney Bight, with three. Other areas identified by at least one developer were Western Bank, French Bank (floating foundations), Georges Bank, Digby Neck, Liverpool (floating foundations), Banquereau Bank, Misaine Bank (floating foundations) and the Northumberland Strait,” reads the report.
Developers were also asked to identify areas that they considered unsuitable for development and the rationale for that determination.
“Many considered areas that could not accommodate fixed foundations, deeper than 65–70 m, as unsuitable, while others favoured floating foundation technology. Some discounted the Northumberland Strait, the western side of Cape Breton and the south shore due to intense fishing activity and/or visual aesthetics. Similarly, a few developers identified all nearshore areas as challenging due to fisheries and stakeholder concerns, while others discounted areas subject to sea ice and areas further than 110 km from shore.”
During the assessment process, the Nova Scotia Fisheries Alliance for Energy Engagement (NSFAEE) identified areas near Sydney Bight and the Laurentian Channel, Western/Emerald Bank, the edge of Browns Bank and some small portions of Middle and Banquereau Banks as areas of lower conflict between the various fisheries and potential offshore wind development.
In feedback to the regional assessment committee on its draft report released last fall, “Members of the NSFAEE continue to discourage any proposed development outside of the low conflict areas provided to the Regional Assessment Committee in the February 2024 NSFAEE submission. These areas were developed and recommended by the harvesting sector based on known usage patterns that may not be well captured by other data sources used in the consideration of areas for development. For areas outside of these self-identified regions, we are collectively concerned that insufficient information exists to provide clear guidance for future development,” said the NSFAEE.
“Members are concerned that the expansion of the boundaries and addition of new PDAs was undertaken without full consideration of impacts and appear to be based on loose requests from regulators and the offshore wind industry, while at the same time ignoring requests from the harvesting sector to reduce/eliminate areas of known conflict… The addition of two new areas without due consideration of existing activities is concerning. The newly minted Lahave Basin and Misaine Bank sites are heavily fished by a variety of sectors and encompass areas that represent the entire near- and mid-shore footprint of the fishery for certain key species. The boundaries of these sites clearly require discussion and refinement in consultation with the fishing industry before any further consideration is given to seabed tenure.”
One of the significant and recurring issues raised by participants in the regional assessment engagement process was the need to compensate fishers for economic loss caused by offshore wind activities including temporary or permanent loss of access to fishing grounds, said the Committee in the final report.
While “there is no legal obligation to compensate for economic loss resulting from exclusion or displacement caused by offshore wind activities in most offshore wind jurisdictions, including the U.K., Germany and the U.S.… various means have been employed by governments and regulators to encourage and enable some form of ‘voluntary’ compensation payable by the development proponents,” reads the report.
“In some cases, compensation ‘guidelines’ have been developed and compensation proposals based on the guidelines have been solicited from developers in various ways, including as part of a bid licensing process. Accepted proposals have become included as conditions to operating authorizations, effectively creating an obligation on the developer to pay.”
The Regional Assessment included over 120 sessions involving Indigenous communities, government agencies, fisheries groups, non-governmental organizations, industry representatives and the public. The Committee also drew on lessons from other jurisdictions with established offshore wind industries to identify effective mitigation strategies, inform regulatory planning and understand potential socio-economic impacts. Data collection and analyses of existing surveys and studies on the offshore environment were used to undertake constraint mapping.
In summary, the Committee outlined “the numerous areas of present knowledge that are inadequate as a basis for commitment to such a large enterprise. Although there is considerable experience with offshore wind in Europe, and a growing experience in Asia, it is a totally new enterprise for Canada’s east coast, and the suite of environmental, economic and social implications will inevitably be different in this Regional Assessment Study Area.”
The Governments of Canada and Nova Scotia will review the report and determine next steps.
“Ministers and department officials are currently reviewing the Committee’s analysis and recommendations with a focus on prioritizing key follow-up actions in the context of ongoing wind planning and future project level impact assessments… The Committee’s work will play an important role in informing future planning and decision making on offshore wind development and Canada’s clean energy transition,” wrote Minister Guilbeault in a letter acknowledging receipt of the report.
