What ports are needed for the assessment?
The focus of this study will be a high-level assessment of primary ports capable of supporting the offshore wind (OSW) market. For this development, there are two types of ports required: primary and secondary offshore wind ports. As such:
- This assessment focuses on the primary port needs, including fixed bottom OSW marshalling port, floating OSW staging and integration port, floating foundation assembly port, and a combined floating OSW assembly and staging and integration port.
- This study does not explore secondary ports such as operations and maintenance, cable storage and loadout facilities, mooring chain/rope and anchor handling facilities, or manufacturing facilities.
If you have a question about the assessment, please email ports@netzeroatlantic.ca.
Check back soon. Participating ports have been selected and they will be posted here.
Offshore wind has significant potential to become a new source of low-carbon electricity for Atlantic Canada. Ports and suitable port infrastructure are key to successfully delivering offshore wind projects.
The challenge
There is a lack of publicly available information about port infrastructure to support offshore wind development in Atlantic Canada.
What to expect
The Assessment of Atlantic Canadian Ports to Support Offshore Wind Development project will highlight capabilities, identify gaps , and provide conclusions and recommendations related to potential involvement by Atlantic Canadian ports in offshore wind development.
How we’re addressing it
Net Zero Atlantic is a leading independent energy research organization advancing Atlantic Canada’s transition to a low-carbon future. We recognize ports as being essential to establishing the infrastructure needed to complete the energy transition underway now. We are assessing how ready our region’s port infrastructure is for the offshore wind industry.
Deliverables
The project will provide:
- current offshore wind industry and market conditions
- anticipated timelines for project development
- forecasted demand for port services
- port requirements to enable fixed-bottom and floating wind turbines
- profiles of participating ports, including self-defined development plans
- comparison of available and proposed port infrastructure to benchmark requirements for fixed base and floating turbines
Why now?
To prepare for potential future offshore wind development, stakeholders need practical information about existing port infrastructure and necessary upgrades. Results of this assessment will be useful for ports, investors, developers, and other stakeholders with an interest in offshore wind development in Atlantic Canada.
What’s next?
Ports identified in the shortlist will be engaged to provide and validate information regarding their ports. This information will be used to develop port specific profiles and assess infrastructure against offshore wind requirements.
Past activities
- April 2025 – Completed screening of all port data submissions.
- February 2025 – Call for submissions was launched with a virtual information session. Recording of the session to come. Watch a recording of the session.
- November 2024 - Moffatt & Nichol was contracted as the consultant. The primary investigators are leaders in port infrastructure for offshore wind and have brought to the project the following secondary investigators: Xodus, Caron Hawco Group, Angler Solutions, and Envigour.
- October 2024 - An RFP was released for the research project, Assessment of Atlantic Canadian Ports to Support Offshore Wind Development.
Net Zero Atlantic has partnered with three offshore wind developers – Northland Power, Simply Blue Group, and Nova East Wind Inc. – to coordinate this assessment of port infrastructure availability in Atlantic Canada and the necessary infrastructure upgrades to serve the emerging offshore wind industry. Last fall, they contracted the firm Moffatt & Nichol – leaders in port infrastructure for offshore wind – as the primary consultant to carry out the assessment. Supporting Moffatt & Nichol in carrying out this project are Xodus Group, Caron Hawco Group, Angler Solutions, and Envigour.
This project benefits from expert involvement from a number of organizations. The assessment is being coordinated by Net Zero Atlantic in partnership with three offshore wind developers – Northland Power, Simply Blue Group, and Nova East Wind Inc. They have contracted the firm Moffatt & Nichol, leaders in port infrastructure for offshore wind, as the primary consultant carrying out the assessment. Moffatt & Nichol is being supported by offshore wind supply chain experts from Xodus Group, while local consultants Caron Hawco Group, Angler Solutions, and Envigour contribute essential regional insights and expertise.
Ports will need to meet the technical requirements to be considered in the assessment. Details around the screening process were shared in the virtual information session, and updates on the process will be provided on this project page. A recording of the information session is available at netzeroatlantic.ca/outreach/archive.
Preparatory work related to this assessment began in late 2024, with the project team working to establish technical requirements and methodology. Direct engagement with ports and data collection for the assessment is ongoing. The final report will be completed in summer 2025.
The information your port provides will be used to assess existing infrastructure and identify potential upgrades needed to support offshore wind development in Atlantic Canada. Some of this data will be included in the final report to provide valuable insights for ports, investors, developers, and other stakeholders interested in offshore wind opportunities.
Certain non-sensitive data will be made publicly available to help:
- Assess existing port infrastructure and determine which ports best meet offshore wind needs.
- Identify potential investments required to prepare ports for offshore wind development.
- Support decision-making for developers and investors exploring agreements with ports.
Confidential or commercially sensitive information will not be published without prior consent. Ports will be informed in advance about what information will be included in the final report.
We apologize if you did not receive notice about our information session. We made effort to inform ports across Atlantic Canada about this assessment through Net Zero Atlantic’s extensive database, direct emails to ports with potential offshore wind capacity, and outreach to government and industry stakeholders. If your port was not contacted but believes it meets the study’s minimum technical thresholds, please email port@netzeroatlantic.ca to discuss next steps; while the shortlist is largely set, we will record your interest and let you know whether engagement is still feasible within the current project scope.
While there are no guarantees, offshore wind has significant potential to become a new source of low-carbon electricity for Atlantic Canada. It could help meet government goals to use more clean energy and reduce emissions. Offshore wind projects have been proposed by developers in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador. Nova Scotia has announced it plans to offer leases for 5 gigawatts of offshore wind energy by 2030, with a first call for bids by 2025. While other provinces have yet to make firm commitments, interest in offshore wind is growing, and this assessment will help prepare Atlantic Canadian ports to be ready for future opportunities.
Ports and suitable port infrastructure are key to successfully delivering offshore wind projects. Ports that serve offshore wind functions may receive significant economic opportunities that will benefit the regions in which they are based.
The fisheries sector is an important part of Atlantic Canada’s economy and coastal communities. While this assessment focuses on port infrastructure, we recognize that offshore wind development intersects with marine industries, including fisheries. The study will include considerations related to how ports can support offshore wind while ensuring that potential impacts on existing marine industries are well understood.
As offshore wind development progresses, collaboration with fishery stakeholders will be essential to balancing economic opportunities with marine resource sustainability. Ports interested in participating in this assessment are encouraged to consider how their infrastructure and operations can accommodate both offshore wind activities and the needs of the fisheries sector.
Contact us
Email questions to ports@netzeroatlantic.ca