The governments of Canada’s Nova Scotia and the US state of Massachusetts have issued a joint request for information (RFI) on offshore wind development in Nova Scotia and the delivery of clean energy to the New England grid.
The deal was penned by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA), the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER), the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) and the Nova Scotia Department of Energy (NSDOE).
Issued on 12 November, the RFI will be open for submissions from offshore wind and transmission developers, utilities, Indigenous communities, fisheries representatives, labour organisations, researchers, supply chain companies and environmental groups until December 1 2026.
According to the Nova Scotia government, the agreement, which also includes Maine, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Vermont, falls under the scope of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed in early 2026 between the two jurisdictions.
The MoU establishes a three-year framework for the governments of Nova Scotia and Massachusetts whereby the parties will work together on offshore wind development, workforce and supply chain coordination as well as regulatory information-sharing, Canadian officials shared.
“With an estimated 60 gigawatts of offshore wind potential, Nova Scotia is uniquely positioned to become a renewable energy hub for eastern North America. At peak demand, Nova Scotia uses 2.4 gigawatts. We have an opportunity to supply clean, reliable electricity to multiple jurisdictions, including Atlantic Canada, Quebec, the New England states and beyond,” said Premier Tim Houston.
“Massachusetts has the ports, infrastructure and workforce needed to build offshore wind. We’re working with our partners in Nova Scotia to harness that expertise and get more clean energy built,” Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey said.
The RFI comes less than a month since the Canadian government revealed it would commit CAD 100 million (around EUR 63 million) to push forward offshore wind development in Nova Scotia.
In September this year, Governor Maura Healey and MassCEC revealed an investment that would go toward training workers for offshore wind and maritime careers as well as toward research on fisheries, wildlife, and the marine environment.
Nova Scotia and the federal government are working towards awarding the first offshore wind projects in the province, having launched the process for the country's first offshore wind tender in 2025.
Earlier this year, the Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Energy Regulator (CNSOER) released the names of seven companies and consortia that qualified to bid in the country’s first offshore wind auction.