The Government of Canada has announced new funding to advance offshore wind development in Nova Scotia and help attract private investment for projects such as the province’s Wind West initiative.
The commitment totals CAD 100 million. Wind West is a Nova Scotia-led initiative to develop offshore wind farms and connect their electricity to consumers. It aims to generate enough zero-emissions electricity to meet the province’s needs and export additional power through new transmission infrastructure.
Of the total commitment, CAD 5 million will fund the deployment of floating light detection and ranging (FLiDAR) buoys. These will measure offshore wind speeds and ocean conditions, providing data to help project developers prepare for the call for bids by the Canada–Nova Scotia Offshore Energy Regulator, scheduled for winter 2027.
Natural Resources Canada is also providing nearly CAD 3 million to Net Zero Atlantic to expand transmission modelling for offshore wind power from Nova Scotia to Quebec, Ontario and beyond. The funding will also support marine surveys to help determine transmission cable routes.
Referred to the federal Major Projects Office in September 2025, the Atlantic Energy Strategy aims to develop onshore and offshore wind, nuclear and hydropower across Atlantic Canada and strengthen regional electricity connections.
