Cape Breton Port Proponents Pivot to Offshore Wind Manufacturing Terminal
Novaporte and Sydney Harbour Investment Partners are shifting focus from a long-stalled container port proposal in Cape Breton to developing an offshore wind manufacturing terminal in Sydney Harbour, aiming to align with Nova Scotia’s $60-billion Wind West project.
Proponents behind a 13-year-old bid to build a shipping container port in Cape Breton have shifted their strategic focus toward developing a terminal to support the offshore wind sector. The new initiative involves Novaporte and Sydney Harbour Investment Partners, who plan to construct an offshore wind manufacturing port on the shores of Sydney Harbour. The goal is to attract anchor manufacturers and suppliers to the region.
Sydney Harbour Investment Partners is leading the project, with Novaporte CEO Albert Barbusci also serving as the head of the investment partner. A significant component of this new direction is the involvement of the Membertou First Nation, which holds a 25 per cent equity stake in Sydney Harbour Investment. Chief Terry Paul stated that while the original plans for a container port have not been scrapped, they are being shelved for now due to previous lack of success and infrastructure challenges.
The pivot comes as Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston advances his proposed $60-billion Wind West offshore energy project. Houston has indicated that Wind West could generate five gigawatts of electricity in its first phase and potentially reach 40 gigawatts by 2050. Massachusetts and Hydro-Québec have expressed preliminary interest in purchasing power from the project, and Nova Scotia is expected to issue a formal call for wind developer bids this year.
Novaporte issued a statement noting that it generated investor interest for the new offshore wind proposal at last week’s Canada Investment Summit in Toronto. The company estimates that the first phase of its proposal for an offshore wind hub could be worth US$1 billion. This contrasts with the previous container port plan, which envisioned a 200-hectare terminal in Sydney capable of handling about 3.2 million containers annually but faced significant hurdles, including a run-down railway connecting Sydney to the rest of Canada that has been unused for a decade. A 2023 report pegged the restoration costs for that railway at $120 million.