Canada’s first offshore wind farms move closer to reality as regulator clears bidders

HALIFAX — Development of Canada’s first offshore wind farms took a significant step forward late Friday when Nova Scotia’s offshore energy regulator released the names of companies qualified to bid on seabed licences.

The Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Energy Regulator identified five companies and two groups of companies that won approval after taking part in a review process between October 2025 and January of this year.

The eligible companies were required to meet certain financial, technical, legal and social criteria to prove they are capable of completing offshore wind projects.

The regulator, however, said the companies that met eligibility requirements had the option of keeping their status confidential, which means the names of some participants may remain a secret at this stage.

Meanwhile, the federal-provincial agency confirmed a formal call for bids will be issued some time later this year. And those bids will be subject to ministerial reviews at the federal and provincial levels.

So far, the approved companies are based in Canada, Belgium, China, Ireland, Luxembourg, Singapore, Switzerland, South Korea and France.

In January, a spokesman for one of the companies, Q Energy France, said its estimated timeline for commissioning offshore turbines would be sometime in 2035.

Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston issued a statement Friday saying the province had taken another step toward becoming an energy leader on the world stage.

“By attracting companies with the experience and know-how to deliver large energy projects, we are setting the stage for a successful offshore wind industry here at home,” Houston said.

“This kind of growth will move us from a have not to a have province and create many new opportunities for our young people, small businesses and communities.”

In June 2025, Houston said the province’s plan to license enough offshore wind farms to produce five gigawatts of electricity would be increased eightfold to 40 gigawatts, well beyond the 2.4 gigawatts Nova Scotia needs.

He called on Ottawa to help cover the costs of the Wind West project, saying the excess electricity could be used to supply 27 per cent of Canada’s total demand. Quebec and Massachusetts have already shown interest in buying electricity from this proposed clean energy megaproject.

The provincial government says the first phase of Wind West is estimated to cost about $60 billion and would produce about five gigawatts of power as early as 2033. About $40 billion would be for turbine infrastructure, with another $20 billion for new transmission lines.

The plan to produce up to 40 gigawatts of electricity says commissioning could happen by 2050.

The ocean areas under consideration for the first phase include Sydney Bight, northeast of Cape Breton in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Three more parcels can be found off the eastern shore of mainland Nova Scotia.

The following qualified companies and business alliances consented to to having their names released:

— DEME Concessions Wind N.V., based in Belgium.

— Ming Yang Smart Energy Group Ltd., based in China.

— Northland Power Inc., based in Toronto.

— Simply Blue Energy (OSW) Ltd., based in Ireland.

— Jan De Nul N.V., based in Luxembourg.

— A group that includes Halifax-based DP Energy Canada Ltd., Enterprize Energy Atlantic Pte. Ltd. in Singapore, Nova East Wind Inc. in Halifax, and SBM Renewables Holding SA, based in Switzerland.

— A group that includes Hanwha Ocean Co., Ltd., based in South Korea, and Q ENERGY France SAS.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 27, 2026.

Michael MacDonald, The Canadian Press