Catching the Wind: How Atlantic Canada can become an energy superpower highlights the relatively shallow waters off the coast of Sable Island as a prime location for offshore wind development.Peter Nicholson, author of the wind power report, says there’s “a tremendous economic opportunity” in investing in offshore wind power for the region. And it's national opportunity, as well, in “decarbonizing” the country’s energy system to limit climate change.
The Sable Island Bank alone could accommodate at least 1,000 offshore turbines, each with a capacity of 15 megawatts, the report concludes. It says that's enough to supply almost twice the total electricity currently consumed in Atlantic Canada each year. Walsh said the effort could use help from the federal government in mapping the best areas for offshore projects in Atlantic Canada
The Atlantic Loop was supposed to expand electrical grid connections between Quebec and New Brunswick and New Brunswick and Nova Scotia to provide greater access to renewable electricity. Nova Scotia announced last Wednesday it's abandoning plans to connect to Quebec, but will continue to import hydroelectricity from Labrador via the Maritime Link.
"Nova Scotia may have a good reason to be reluctant if all they're thinking about is their own domestic requirements over the next few years," he added. "The vision that I've put forward is a completely different one, and vastly more ambitious." "To bring offshore wind to market a land based loop like that of course is one pathway, but there's also been proponents saying to do direct offshore connection, which go over land," said Scott Urquhart, CEO and founder of Aegir Insights, a Danish software company that serves the offshore wind sector. Some of the firm's findings were cited in Nicholson's report.