Offshore Wind Energy in Canada: An Overview of Challenges and Opportunities

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Given Canada’s goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, it is necessary to carefully explore all options for clean energy production in order to meet the country’s significant energy needs. In fact, to achieve this carbon neutrality goal, Canada needs 150 GW of installed wind power capacity, whereas it currently stands at only 14.3 GW. To meet this demand, it is therefore important to explore various options, such as offshore wind energy, which has been adopted by many countries around the world.

Currently, Canada does not operate any offshore wind farms, despite significant wind resources along the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, as well as in the Great Lakes. In particular, The Canadian Atlantic region has one of the world’s greatest wind energy potentials. Furthermore, Canada already has a robust wind energy industry, associations, and an experienced workforce capable of developing offshore wind projects.

In this report prepared by Nergica, experts address the various aspects of offshore wind energy, including technical, technological, and regulatory considerations, among others. They also provide an overview of the current state of the industry in Canada.

Summary of the thesis's recommendations:

The development of offshore wind projects in Canada must take into account a wide range of factors, including regulatory frameworks, subsidies and financial incentives, environmental permitting and land-use planning processes, stakeholder engagement, environmental impact assessments, and international collaboration, including:

• Clearly define the regulatory requirements for offshore wind projects;
• Promote active collaboration with international partners in the offshore wind industry;
• Encourage and support offshore wind development projects in Canada;
• Support research and development.