Q Energy France and its South Korean sister company Hanwha Ocean said on January 14, 2026, that they had jointly entered the Canada-Nova Scotia offshore regulator’s pre-qualification process. The step comes before a call for bids for seabed licences to develop offshore wind projects off Nova Scotia, Canada’s first such leasing round.
An early step, not a licence
Pre-qualification does not award any seabed rights. The Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Energy Regulator, known as CNSOER, uses the process to review companies and identify which ones are eligible to take part in the next stage, a competitive call for bids where licences will be awarded.
The regulator opened a call for information and the pre-qualification window in October 2025, following a joint direction from the federal and Nova Scotia governments to begin leasing seabed areas for wind development. Both processes closed on January 13, 2026, the day before Q Energy and Hanwha Ocean announced their participation.
At the time of the announcement, the regulator was not disclosing how many applications it had received or which companies had applied. Spokesperson Colleen Fiske told the Canadian Press the regulator would not share the number of applications or the names of companies that applied through the process.
Four wind energy areas have been designated off the Nova Scotia coast for the first auction. Three sit south of the province’s eastern mainland, and the fourth is east of Cape Breton Island.
What the partners bring
Q Energy France is the French renewable energy arm of South Korea’s Hanwha Group, and it brings more than 25 years of experience in renewable energy, according to the companies. Hanwha Ocean, its sister company, contributes shipbuilding and offshore plant experience through its energy plant unit, which the company says it is using to expand into the global offshore wind market.
Junu Lee, chief executive of Q Energy, said the company hopes to contribute to Canada and Nova Scotia’s transition to clean energy through large-scale and sustainable offshore wind development. In a fuller statement reported by OffshoreWIND.biz, Lee said the company is focused on delivering high-quality offshore wind projects, and that the wider Hanwha Group, including its defence business, is well positioned to contribute to economic growth in Canada and the region.
The companies said they aim to support local supply chains, create skilled jobs and work with Canadian and Nova Scotian partners, communities and stakeholders. Those commitments are standard at this stage of a project, and their real test would come only if the partnership wins a licence and moves into construction planning.
Why Nova Scotia is moving first
Nova Scotia has positioned offshore wind as a major economic project, not only a source of power for its own grid. The province’s earlier plan was to license enough offshore wind to produce five gigawatts of electricity. Premier Tim Houston has since promoted a much larger Wind West concept, arguing the excess power could serve demand well beyond the province and calling on Ottawa to help with costs.
For Atlantic Canada, the attraction is clear. The region has strong offshore winds, ports and a marine workforce, but no operating offshore wind farm yet. A first leasing round is the point where years of policy work either turn into real projects or stall.
What happened next
The partnership’s entry was later confirmed as successful. In June 2026, the regulator published the names of companies and consortia that had consented to have their prequalified status made public. Hanwha Ocean and Q ENERGY France appeared on that list, alongside six others, including Northland Power, Jan De Nul and DEME Concessions Wind.
The regulator said applicants were assessed on financial, technical, legal and social criteria during the 90-day process, which ran from October 16, 2025, to January 13, 2026. Only prequalified companies will be able to bid when the call for bids opens. No timetable for that bidding round had been announced, and it remains subject to approval by federal and provincial ministers.
