First, New Zealand has passed a law that enables the development of offshore renewable energy: offshore wind, wave and tidal power. The Offshore Renewable Energy Act enables the first tender rounds to be published.

The bill sets up a two-stage process for permitting. Stage one is a feasibility permit. If a developer decides to proceed, it will need to apply for a commercial permit and obtain environmental consents. There will need to be safety zones around any assets, and developers will have to decommission them at the end of their lives.

Energy Minister Simeon Brown said: ‘The winds off the South Taranaki coast are on a par with those of the North Sea, the most productive offshore wind region in the world, and because they blow so steadily, offshore turbines are expected to run at higher capacity than turbines on land.’

He continued: ‘The South Taranaki Bight alone could one day supply a significant amount of new generating capacity, with a single large project there potentially powering more than 650,000 homes.’

An amendment allows ministers to designate areas as exclusively for offshore renewable energy, which prevents seabed minerals permits from being issued, according to analysis from law firm Russell McVeagh. It adds that what the new law does not do is set up any kind of contract-for-difference (CfD) price support mechanism.

The French-speaking eastern Canadian province of Québec has published its 2026–2050 Integrated Energy Resource Management Plan, which says that an additional 15TWh to 2030, 60TWh to 2040 and 150TWh of renewable energy supplies will be needed by 2050. Including planned energy efficiency measures raises the 2050 total to nearly 295TWh.

In 2022, the province consumed 496TWh of energy, of which 41% was electricity (primarily from hydro, plus wind), 37% petroleum, 14% natural gas and LNG, and 7% bioenergy.

Although the report does not specify exact ratios, wind power is the main target for the growth. The plan says: ‘Wind power remains the preferred form of electricity generation for quickly adding low-cost energy to complement existing infrastructure.’ It anticipates wind installed capacity to be 12–16GW by 2040, and 21–25GW by 2050.

It also anticipates hydro representing 7–11GW in 2040 and 8–12GW in 2050. Solar could be 1–3GW in 2040 and up to 5GW in 2050.

The report also says that the province intends to ‘fully’ exercise its powers to strengthen energy autonomy and reduce reliance on hydrocarbon imports.

Onshore wind turbine manufacturer Nordex was pleased with the outcome. It said: ‘As the birthplace of Canada’s wind energy industry, Québec brings together recognised know-how, world-class expertise and a strong industrial ecosystem that make it a natural partner in accelerating the energy transition. It is no coincidence that Nordex chose Québec as the cornerstone of its Canadian growth strategy. Today, the company accounts for nearly 60% of its Canadian portfolio in Québec, representing more than 1.2GW of projects, while also maintaining its Canadian headquarters in Montreal.’