Canada opens the door to the Belgian offshore wind sector

The ties between Canada and Europe have been strengthened further in recent months. During a visit to the European Parliament earlier this month, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney emphasised the importance of closer cooperation on energy security, clean technology and economic resilience. These ambitions extend beyond policy statements alone. Economically, this growing rapprochement is increasingly being translated into concrete partnerships between Canadian and European organisations.

One of the sectors in which this cooperation is taking shape is offshore wind.. Canada aims to develop approximately 5 GW of offshore wind capacity off the coast of Nova Scotia by 2030. The first tender round is expected in early 2027.

As a result, the Canadian offshore wind sector is on the verge of a significant growth phase. Opportunities are emerging not only for project developers, but also for companies active in maritime services, construction, inspection, digitalisation, maintenance and logistics.

Canada is looking explicitly to Europe for the development of its offshore wind sector. For example, the Canadian organisation Net Zero Atlantic recently entered into a partnership with several European organisations that have experience in developing offshore wind markets. Together, they aim to share knowledge on areas such as regulation, infrastructure, supply chains and market development.

Through this collaboration, Canada hopes to draw lessons from European experience and accelerate the rollout of offshore wind along its Atlantic coast. At the same time, it creates additional opportunities for European companies to bring their expertise, technology and services to the Canadian market.

Over the past twenty years, Belgium has built a strong reputation in offshore wind. Belgian companies are now among the international frontrunners in development, installation, maritime services and maintenance.

This expertise has not gone unnoticed in Canada. In Nova Scotia’s first offshore wind auction, both DEME and Jan De Nul qualified as potential bidders. In addition, Smulders recently announced a strategic partnership with Canadian and American players to help build a local offshore wind supply chain in Nova Scotia.

These developments show that Belgian companies are not only exploring the Canadian market but are already playing an active role in it. As Nova Scotia works to establish its own offshore wind sector, Belgian players are contributing expertise in project development, installation and industrial cooperation. This also opens up opportunities for other Belgian companies.