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Proposed offshore wind farm led by two Nova Scotia engineers
Pilot project Nova East Wind is working to implement a floating offshore wind farm of 20-25 turbines located 20-30km off the coast of Goldboro by 2030 to support Nova Scotia and Canada’s decarbonization goals.
Project leads Anne-Marie Belliveau, P.Eng., Offshore Development Manager at DP Energy, and Gerald Sheehan, P.Eng., Project Development Manager at SBM Offshore, both grew up near the ocean and deeply respect coastal communities. A joint venture partnership between the engineers’ parent companies, the two Nova Scotians gladly bring their energy expertise to Nova East Wind’s development.
Goldboro has been selected as the ideal location after the project’s initial constraints analysis, which looked at areas from one end of the province to the other. SBM Offshore and DP Energy joined forces to study environmental factors, traditional fishing activities, routes, and grid areas in which to run power lines. Just as much as the team looked at places to develop, they looked at places to avoid.
“Everything that went into Nova East Wind was about how we can best support Nova Scotians and bring jobs to the province,” says Belliveau. “We are working closely with fishers, municipalities, Mi’kmaq communities, and we want to ensure our actions are to the highest standard.”
Belliveau best describes Nova East Wind as a “stepping-stone project.”
The supply chain, the government and regulators must prepare policy and build the required infrastructure before Nova East Wind’s creative solutions can move through testing, approval and construction.
In September 2022, The Government of Nova Scotia announced a target to offer leases for five gigawatts of offshore wind energy by 2030 to support the green hydrogen industry. According to the news release, leases for offshore wind development will be granted through a competitive bid process, with a first call in 2025.
The following spring, the province released the first of three modules of its new offshore wind road map, explaining Nova Scotia’s approach to site selection, seabed licenses and support mechanisms.
The second module, which will focus on supply chain, infrastructure, and clean, inclusive growth opportunities, will be released in the coming weeks. The third module, planned for the fall of 2024, will focus on feedback from Mi’kmaq, Indigenous peoples from other communities, fisheries, and other environmental organizations.
“It’s early,” says Sheehan. “We’re not into more formal engagements like impact assessments. We’ve done a lot, but there’s a long road ahead.”
There are hopes of bringing the technology to multiple locations, but there are other focuses than expansion. Nova East Wind’s primary goal is to get the electrons into Nova Scotia’s grid within the next seven years to account for coal power no longer feeding into the grid.
However, the government pauses to consider waters within provincial jurisdiction until their framework is in place.
“There were a lot of questions within the industry and communities about seeing the province’s first announcement on offshore wind,” says Sheehan. “SBM Offshore and DP Energy have come together to share our vision of what we’d like the future to be.”
Belliveau adds that Nova East Wind’s stakeholders respect the government’s process and diligently conduct their consultations and research.
“What’s great about Nova East Wind is that it helps to inform and potentially guide legislation and policy,” she says. “We see ourselves moving in parallel with the government’s work.”
You can find updates on the province’s assessment of offshore wind development here: https://iaac-aeic.gc.ca/050/evaluations/proj/83514?culture=en-CA
