Ontario’s proposed nuclear plants could cost nearly $300-billion, study finds

**chuckChuck** · Jun 24, 2026, 07:13

This should be a wakeup call for other provinces that are planning to invest heavily in nuclear instead of maximizing lower cost renewables backed up by base loads from gas or some nuclear.

Renewables are faster and cheaper to build.

If Canada trys to build 10 reactors as the Liberals are suggesting there will be a big shortage of workers and experts along with materials and equipment that will drive up the costs and timelines.

Batteries and renewables along with interconnections with other regions can bridge the gap and keep prices much lower.

**chuckChuck** · Jun 24, 2026, 07:25

Nova Scotia is betting big on its offshore wind power project

[url]https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/article-nova-scotia-is-betting-big-on-its-offshore-wind-power-project/[/url]

The winds that gust off the North Atlantic and buffet Nova Scotia ([url]https://www.theglobeandmail.com/topics/nova-scotia/[/url]) are driving something of a renewable energy ([url]https://www.theglobeandmail.com/topics/renewable-energy/[/url]) development boom in the Maritime province, and fuelling its dream of becoming a clean power leader.

Nova Scotia’s green electricity goal is ambitious: To have 80 per cent of the grid supplied by renewables by 2030.

It will be a heavy lift. The province’s population is only one million and change, and coal-fired power accounts for the bulk of generation – roughly 47 per cent in 2023.

But the electricity mix here has shifted significantly in recent years. In 2023, renewables generated approximately 30 per cent of the province’s power, and Nova Scotia leads the country in green electricity deals. It dabbles in solar and biomass, and has had hydro power since 1903.

The province is wagering on wind for the future.

Its biggest bet? Canada’s first offshore wind farm. Called Wind West, it’s part of a broader plan to cut energy costs and ultimately build stronger Atlantic interconnections.

Nova Scotia’s pursuit of offshore wind reflects a broader global trend. Installations are growing at a rapid clip, increasing by eight gigawatts in 2024, according to the Global Wind Energy Council, a trade association. With the longest coastlines in the world, the federal government considers Canada well-positioned to enter the global offshore wind sector, which the International Energy Agency forecasts will attract US$1-trillion in investment by 2040.

Already the province is home to more than 300 onshore commercial wind turbines, most of which are owned by independent power producers in partnership with local municipalities or Indigenous communities.

One of those producers is Halifax-based SWEB Development LP. The company’s chief executive, Rory Cantwell, says Nova Scotia’s appetite for wind farms has increased markedly since he entered the industry more than 20 years ago.

“When I was first doing it, there was a lot of concern about, ‘What are these things even about?’” he said, the blades of a turbine whooshing above his head at SWEB’s North Beaver Bank Wind Energy Project, roughly 35 kilometres north of the capital.

Mr. Cantwell still hears some pushbackfrom community members about new developments, mainly of the “not in my backyard,” or NIMBY, variety. But these days “there’s a lot of support for renewables in Nova Scotia,” he said. He attributes that to a combination of environmental and affordability concerns, and the fact people have seen that turbines can run efficiently while mitigating wildlife effects and noise. [/URL] Rory Cantwell, CEO of SWEB Development LP, tours the North Beaver Bank Wind Energy Project. Nova Scotia’s green electricity goal is to have 80 per cent of the grid supplied by renewables by 2030.Darren Calabrese/The Globe and Mail

Wind facilities have also become significantly cheaper in recent years. That’s a key consideration in a province where power prices are consistently higher than the national average,which currently sits just above 19 cents a kilowatt-hour. By comparison, the Weavers Mountain Wind Energy Project being built by SWEB will see prices locked in at roughly 5.3 cents a kilowatt-hour for 25 years.

“When you look at the value proposition and investment thesis of projects that are low cost, low risk, low carbon and that can be rolled out quickly, wind tends to tick those boxes quite efficiently,” Mr. Cantwell said.

Robert Apold, principal at Natural Forces Solar, another Halifax-based renewables firm, said Nova Scotia’s small-town feel means community consultation and engagement take on extra importance.

“We tend to avoid NIMBYism, whereas others from outside, we’ve noticed that they run into it a lot” because those outsiders approach development as they would in other places, “instead of the way that Maritimers would,” he said.

It also helps that Natural Force’s wind facilities are developed in partnership with communities, be they a First Nation, a municipality or a group of local investors.

“When you have a project that is partially community owned, it becomes much more accepted than if it’s just a commercial project,” Mr. Apold said. “There’s buy-in, because it’s theirs.”

Opinion: The real fight for Canada’s energy future is being fought at a global scale – and the clean side is winning ([url]https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-the-real-fight-for-canadas-energy-future-is-being-fought-at-a-global/[/url])

Opinion: Canada must remember that the future is electricity, not fossil fuels ([url]https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/commentary/article-canada-must-remember-that-the-future-is-electricity-not-fossil-fuels/[/url])

Eddie Oldfield, the director of policy for the Maritimes at the Canadian Renewable Energy Association, or CanREA, says Nova Scotia has worked hard to establish itself as one of Canada’s renewable energy leaders.

By having a clear vision for a greener electricity system, the provincehas sent strong signals to investors and communities that it’s serious about clean energy, he said.

Last year, that determination to pursue renewables development saw Nova Scotia lead the country in corporate power procurement deals, according to Business Renewables Centre-Canada’s annual state of the market review.

The Maritime province took the baton from Alberta, which in 2023 paused all approvals for renewables development for seven months, with no warning or industry consultation. The Alberta government then instituted new rules governing where wind and solar projects can be built. Investment in the sector – once a multibillion-dollar industry – has since taken a nosedive.

By contrast, in 2023, Nova Scotia Power launched its Green Choice Program, which enables large-scale electricity customers to access renewable power from local developers.

While the program hasn’t added as much power to the grid as the government expected, the province still procured 262 megawatts of new wind capacity. All of those projects are co-owned by Mi’kmaq communities.

Premier Tim Houston considers Nova Scotia’s wind one of the world’s greatest untapped energy resources, and it’s driving his push for the Wind West offshore facility.

The $60-billion project could generate as much as 40 gigawatts of power if all phases are developed. The first stage, at 5,000 megawatts, would produce roughly 24 terawatt hours of power each year – around twice the output of the Sir Adam Beck Hydro complex at Niagara Falls.

Wind West would initially provide electricity to Atlantic Canada, Quebec and perhaps Ontario, but Mr. Houston believes transmission cables carrying wind-produced power will one day run from Nova Scotia into the United States.

“The world has to change a little bit for that to happen, but it will,” he said.

Already, the province has made tentative overtures to its southern neighbours.

In February, Mr. Houston signed an agreement with Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey to work toward supplying the state with clean energy from offshore wind. He said New England and New York are interested in similar agreements.

Nova Scotia wind project will sell power direct to consumers ([url]https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/article-nova-scotia-wind-project-will-sell-power-direct-to-consumers/[/url])

Mr. Houston acknowledges that offshore wind and its associated transmission infrastructure are pricey. But the resource is free once the initial investment is made, so power prices can be locked in for 20 years, he said.

The province is largely looking to the private sector to fund Wind West. Its strategic plan for the project says several features make it an attractive prospect for industry.

For example, the four initial areas designated for project development can produce roughly 62,000megawatts combined. Geographically, that means it would be relatively easy to expand the wind farm down the road.

Water in three of the designated areas – Sydney Bight, Middle Bank, Sable Island Bank – is also less than 60 metres deep. That makes them ideal for fixed-bottom turbines, which are cheaper and faster to build than their floating cousins. (The deeper waters of the fourth designated area, the French Bank, would need the more costly floating offshore turbines.)

Atlantic provinces have historically approached power generation on a project-by-project basis, CanREA’s Mr. Oldfield said, but it’s now at the point where they can no longer afford to do that if they plan to meet energy needs affordably and reliably.

He said there are growing calls for strengthened regional collaboration and an increasing political will “to examine how to best work together.”

Wind West forms part of a broader plan called the Atlantic Energy Strategy, which aims to develop and connect renewable and non-emitting energy sources across Eastern and Atlantic Canada.

Ottawa’s Major Projects Office says on its website it will “work with provinces and proponents to advance” the strategy, including providing regulatory certainty to attract private investment. And, in February, the federal government announced nearly $5-million for a Wind West prefeasibility study.

Ontario’s proposed nuclear plants could cost nearly $300-billion, study finds