Study Area defined in the Agreement to Conduct a Regional Assessment of Offshore Wind Development in Newfoundland and Labrador. The study area was created by the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada in collaboration with Natural Resources Canada and the province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

The Canadian Wind Turbine Database contains the geographic location and key technology details for wind turbines installed in Canada. This dataset was jointly compiled by researchers at CanmetENERGY-Ottawa and by the Centre for Applied Business Research in Energy and the Environment at the University of Alberta, under contract from Natural Resources Canada. Additional contributions were made by the Department of Civil & Mineral Engineering at the University of Toronto. Note that total project capacity was sourced from publicly available information, and may not match the sum of individual turbine rated capacity due to de-rating and other factors. The turbine numbering scheme adopted for this database is not intended to match the developer’s asset numbering. This database will be updated in the future. If you are aware of any errors, and would like to provide additional information, or for general inquiries, please use the contact email address listed on this page.

Depicts priority area for work under the Regional Assessment of Offshore Wind Development in Newfoundland and Labrador. The Committee for the Regional Assessment of Offshore Wind Development in Newfoundland and Labrador (Committee) is responsible for providing information, knowledge and analysis regarding future offshore wind development (OSW) to inform and improve future planning, licencing and impact assessment processes. The Committee’s mandate is set out in the Agreement to Conduct the Regional Assessment of Offshore Wind Development in Newfoundland and Labrador (Agreement), and includes assessing potential environmental, health, social and economic effects of future OSW. The Agreement includes a broad Study Area. In November 2023, the Committee determined OSW interest in the foreseeable future is more likely within a portion of the Study Area set out in the Agreement. The Committee defined this portion of the Study Area as the assessment's Focus Area. The Committee continues to conduct the Regional Assessment (i.e., present information on existing conditions and consider potential impacts of OSW) within the Focus Area. The Committee's decision to define the Focus Area and supporting rationale is available here: https://iaac-aeic.gc.ca/050/evaluations/document/153431 The Agreement to conduct the Regional Assessment is available here: https://iaac-aeic.gc.ca/050/documents/p84343/147037E.pdf

Offshore wind represents a potentially significant source of low-carbon energy for Canada, and ensuring that relevant, high-quality data and scientifically sound analyses are brought forward into decision-making processes will increase the chances of success for any future deployment of offshore wind in Canada. To support this objective, CanmetENERGY-Ottawa (CE-O), a federal laboratory within Natural Resources Canada (NRCan), completed a preliminary analysis of relevant considerations for offshore wind, with an initial focus on Atlantic Canada. To conduct the analysis, CE-O used geographic information system (GIS) software and methods and engaged with multiple federal government departments to acquire relevant data and obtain insights from subject matter experts on the appropriate use of these data in the context of the analysis. The purpose of this work is to support the identification of candidate regions within Atlantic Canada that could become designated offshore wind energy areas in the future. The study area for the analysis included the Gulf of St. Lawrence, the western and southern coasts of the island of Newfoundland, and the coastal waters south of Nova Scotia. Twelve input data layers representing various geophysical, ecological, and ocean use considerations were incorporated as part of a multi-criteria analysis (MCA) approach to evaluate the effects of multiple inputs within a consistent framework. Six scenarios were developed which allow for visualization of a range of outcomes according to the influence weighting applied to the different input layers and the suitability scoring applied within each layer. This preliminary assessment resulted in the identification of several areas which could be candidates for future designated offshore wind areas, including the areas of the Gulf of St. Lawrence north of Prince Edward Island and west of the island of Newfoundland, and areas surrounding Sable Island. This study is subject to several limitations, namely missing and incomplete data, lack of emphasis on temporal and cumulative effects, and the inherent subjectivity of the scoring scheme applied. Further work is necessary to address data gaps and take ecosystem wide impacts into account before deployment of offshore wind projects in Canada’s coastal waters. Despite these limitations, this study and the data compiled in its preparation can aid in identifying promising locations for further review. A description of the methodology used to undertake this study is contained in the accompanying report, available at the following link: https://doi.org/10.4095/331855. This report provides in depth detail into how these data layers were compiled and details any analysis that was done on the data to produce the final data layers in this package.

This geospatial data depicts preliminary offshore wind licencing areas recommended by the Committee for the Regional Assessment of Offshore Wind Development in Newfoundland and Labrador (Committee). These areas were identified as an interim product during the Regional Assessment process. The Committee is tasked to complete its Regional Assessment Report by January 2025. As part of the terms of amended agreement set out by the Governments of Canada and Newfoundland and Labrador, the Committee submitted an interim report to Ministers on March 22, 2024. This report included a preliminary map of recommended areas for offshore wind. Based on work completed to date, the Committee has found these areas are where offshore wind development is most likely feasible and will have the least impact within offshore Newfoundland and Labrador. These areas are preliminary and will be refined throughout the remainder of the Regional Assessment. Through the Regional Assessment process, the Committee is providing federal and provincial Ministers with information, knowledge, and analysis regarding future offshore wind development. Their work is intended to inform and improve future planning, licencing, and impact assessment processes. Any offshore wind areas identified by the Committee do not reflect official offshore wind licencing areas. The Committee is providing these areas to Ministers for their consideration, as the offshore wind regulatory process is being established.