Houston pitches project that could make Nova Scotia an ‘energy superpower’

CITYnews halifax / By Natasha O’Neill

Premier Tim Houston released some details on a plan to make Nova Scotia a clean energy powerhouse in the foreseeable future, however, he did not disclose any costs.

On Monday, Houston, along with the premiers across Canada, met Prime Minister Mark Carney, where they discussed the needs of Canadians and plans to create a sustainable and economic future for the country amid rising uncertainty.

That evening, the Nova Scotia premier took to social media, saying his government is in the process of licensing five gigawatts of offshore wind energy.

“Right now, Nova Scotia is on the edge of a clean energy breakthrough,” he said in the video.

According to the premier, the province only uses about 2.4 gigawatts of energy at peak demand, meaning the remaining energy could be used elsewhere in the country.

Related:

• Nova Scotia sets five gigawatt target for offshore wind power by 2030
• N.S. identifies five areas for potential offshore wind farms

He also suggested that offshore wind fields have the potential to generate up to 66 gigawatts of energy at maximum production, with a conservative estimate of 40 gigawatts each day, depending on the wind speeds.

“You can’t export clean power without a way to move it,” Houston said. “We need a cable, ideally along a national energy corridor to deliver that wind energy westward across Canada — we call it Wind West.”

If this is done, Houston alleges this can cover up to 27 per cent of Canada’s electricity needs.

In the video, the premier said he supports Carney’s vision for the country to be a big player in the energy sector. He said this is why he supports projects like the Energy East pipeline proposal, a project Bloc Québécois leader, Yves-François Blanchet, is “fiercely opposed to.” However, Houston wants both Wind West and the pipeline project to go through, calling it the province’s “golden ticket.”

“My government is ready to invest, private capital is ready to invest, but it will take the political will of the federal government to step up with funding, too,” he said.

The promotional video did not detail any timelines for the project, nor how much the province is willing to invest or how much it needs the federal government to contribute.

With files from CityNews’ Dan Ahlstrand.