Bill C-49 Bill C-49, which has already passed through the House of Commons and appeared once before a Senate committee, creates a joint regulatory scheme between Ottawa and both Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador for overseeing offshore wind projects.
Nova Scotia had been planning to wait for Ottawa's Bill C-49 to become law before introducing its own legislation, but it's been progressing too slowly and the province doesn't want to waste any time.
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Nova Scotia therefore is pushing ahead with legislative changes that would allow bids to open for offshore wind projects next year.
The amendments announced Tuesday will see the Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board become the Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Energy Regulator. Its new mandate will include offshore renewable energy projects and power lines.
Tory Rushton, Nova Scotia's minister of natural resources and renewables, was bullish Tuesday about the potential for offshore wind, calling it Nova Scotia's "greatest economic opportunity since the age of sail." I assume he has this in mind-The New England Maritimes Offshore Energy Corridor – Supporting a shared subsea electricity transmission backbone linking Atlantic Canada and New England. (nemoec.com)
"We're working hard to develop our offshore wind industry. It's going to help us and others reach climate change goals," Rushton said at a bill briefing.
He said he wants to issue licences for five gigawatts of offshore wind energy by 2030.