Canada and Nova Scotia Issue Strategic Direction for Wind West Atlantic Energy Project

On September 18, 2025, the Canada–Nova Scotia Offshore Energy Regulator (Regulator) received strategic direction from the Government of Canada and the Government of Nova Scotia (the Strategic Direction) to initiate Canada’s first call for bids for offshore wind projects, known as Wind West Atlantic Energy.

This direction follows the establishment of a new Major Projects Office (MPO) by the Government of Canada, which aims to fast-track nation-building projects.

Major Projects Office 

The Government of Canada announced the creation of the MPO on August 29, 2025, under the Building Canada Act, as part of Canada’s strategy to accelerate the approval and development of major projects in the national interest, such as ports, railways, energy corridors, mines and clean energy initiatives. The MPO will be supported by an Indigenous Advisory Council to help ensure all projects include meaningful participation with Indigenous Peoples.

On September 11, 2025, Canada announced the first five projects that will be reviewed by the MPO: LNG Canada Phase 2 (Kitimat, British Columbia), Darlington New Nuclear Project (Bowmanville, Ontario), Contrecœur Container Terminal Project (Contrecœur, Quebec), McIlvenna Bay Foran Copper Mine Project (east-central Saskatchewan) and the Red Chris Mine Expansion (northwestern British Columbia). Canada also identified six additional projects at earlier stages of development and directed the MPO to deploy business development teams to advance their concepts. In addition to critical mineral development, carbon capture, utilization and storage in Alberta, and port and railway expansion, the earlier-stage projects to be assessed for support by the MPO include Wind West Atlantic Energy.

Call for Information 

Pursuant to the Strategic Direction, Canada and Nova Scotia directed that the Regulator initiate a Call for Information soliciting feedback on identifying parcels to be used in a call for bids criteria for the call for bids process, any specific terms and conditions to be included in the draft submerged land licence and the regulatory process.

More specifically, they directed that feedback be sought on the following requirements:

• Eligible parcels should have a minimum cumulative generating capacity of approximately 3,000 megawatts (MW) (or 5,000 MW if feasible), be selected based on factors such as proximity to shore, existing port infrastructure, important marine habitat and future opportunities for expansion, and be located within Sydney Bright, Middle Bank and French Bank (i.e., three of the four “Wind Energy Areas” designated by Canada and Nova Scotia on July 29, 2025).
• Criteria should, at a minimum, be based on technical expertise and project delivery capacity, financial strength and financing plan, engagement and community benefits, local content, and environmental sustainability and coexistence. Canada and Nova Scotia also recommended that the Regulator implement a one-time non-refundable fee of C$250,000 for all bidders and a fee of C$75,000 upon issuance of a submerged land license for successful bidders.
• Canada and Nova Scotia would support inclusion of terms and conditions pertaining to community benefits, local content, monitoring and reporting, and coexistence with existing ocean users and uses, among others, in the draft submerged land licence.

Prequalification 

Canada and Nova Scotia also recommended that the prequalification process focus on three key categories:

• Financial capability, assessed through factors such as bidders’ equity ratio, debt rating, annual turnover or net assets or funds under management
• Technical expertise, assessed based on direct experience with offshore wind or other relevant projects, including access to external offshore wind expertise
• Legal and social standing, assessed by a history of regulatory compliance, including with respect to health, safety, environment, human rights and ethical conduct

Other Considerations 

Canada and Nova Scotia recommended reducing the liability threshold for environmental and operational risks below the C$1-billion statutory limit under the Canada–Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Resources Accord Implementation and Offshore Renewable Energy Management Act (Accord Act), a federal law that implements an agreement between Canada and Nova Scotia to jointly manage offshore oil, gas and renewable energy resources.

The Strategic Direction also noted that Nova Scotia intends to establish a fixed annual rental fee based on the spatial area of the applicable submerged land licence until electricity is produced and, once the project starts producing electricity, a levy based on the nameplate capacity and/or a percentage of gross revenue. These fees would be collected by the Regulator and redistributed back to the province.

Next Steps

Canada and Nova Scotia requested that the Regulator launch the Call for Information and Prequalification within 30 days of receiving the Strategic Direction. Given the challenges faced by offshore wind development elsewhere in North America, the Call for Information is an important step in assessing market interest.

For more information, please contact the authors of this bulletin or any other member of our Power group.