Natural Resources Canada is investing almost C$1.8m ($1.35m) in Net Zero Atlantic – an energy research organisation working to advance Canada’s transition to a carbon-neutral society – to lay the foundations for new offshore wind projects in Nova Scotia. Net Zero Atlantic and the Confederacy of Mainland Mi’kmaq are also contributing to the project, bringing the total investment to nearly $1.9m.
To ensure an inclusive approach to offshore wind development in the province, the project team will work with Mi’kmaw groups the Unama’ki Institute of Natural Resources and the Confederacy of Mainland Mi’kmaq, as well as with local communities, to implement the Capacity Building for the Sustainable and Inclusive Development of Nova Scotia’s Offshore Wind Resource program.
In the first phase of the project, Mi’kmaw and other communities will be invited to attend educational forums and workshops to inform the creation of community outreach plans. In phase 2, Net Zero Atlantic will deliver on those plans by preparing the foundations for offshore wind developments across Nova Scotia’s coastal communities.
The Net Zero Atlantic websites notes that “studies have found that Nova Scotia has a promising offshore wind resource base. Research concludes that some offshore regions host a best-in-class wind resource with shallow water depths and appropriate substrates for fixed-bottom turbines.”
Canada’s federal government recently released its 2022 Fall Economic Statement, which includes a refundable tax credit equal to 30% of the capital cost of investments in clean technologies, including clean energy generation and storage.
