Bill 149: Powering the Offshore Act*

This bill touches a wide range of businesses operating in Nova Scotia's energy sector and beyond. Renewable energy developers — whether building offshore wind, solar farms, or run-of-river hydro — face new licensing merger rules, revised power purchase agreement processes, and a structured procurement system administered by an independent procurement administrator. Commercial and industrial electricity customers, including large manufacturers or institutions that want to generate their own power or buy green electricity directly from independent suppliers, gain new rights to install generators up to 27 kW without a contract, participate in community solar gardens, or join the Green Choice Program. Nova Scotia Power itself faces significant new obligations around open-access transmission tariffs, net metering billing transitions, hosting capacity analysis, and data sharing under the Green Button standard. Hydrogen producers seeking to connect to the grid now have a formal innovation program to apply through, which is particularly relevant for industrial operators exploring clean fuel production in the province.