The freshly appointed CEO of a new entity that is taking over control of the energy grid from Nova Scotia Power says he’s going to have to work “incredibly hard” to hit the province’s 2030 renewable energy target. 

“In the world of building new generation units, we haven’t got much time,” said Johnny Johnston, head of the Nova Scotia Independent Energy System Operator.

Johnston sat down with CBC News this month, during his first week on the job, to talk about the transition of responsibilities from Nova Scotia Power to the fledgling non-profit system operator.

The Houston government adopted legislation in 2024 that set the stage for shifting some functions away from Nova Scotia Power. Primary among those functions are the minute-by-minute management of electricity flow on the grid and procurement of new sources of energy.

Nova Scotia Power will continue to be responsible for grid infrastructure and the delivery of electricity to customers.

Johnston, who is originally from the U.K. and most recently worked in Ontario as chief operating officer at Algonquin Power & Utilities Corp., said being responsible for procurement means the system operator will play a “critical” role in Nova Scotia’s transition to renewable energy.

The province has a legislated goal of generating 80 per cent of electricity from renewable sources by 2030. It’s also aiming to wean off coal entirely by the same year. 

At the midpoint of 2025, Nova Scotia Power was using coal and petroleum coke for 35 per cent of its needs, while renewables made up 48 per cent of the energy mix. The remaining 17 per cent consisted of oil, natural gas and unspecified imports, according to the utility’s website.

Johnston, noting his newness to the role, said he did not yet have a firm position on whether the 80 per cent target for 2030 is attainable.

“But I think it’s clear that it’s an ambitious target and it’s very close.”

a wind turbine shot from the air. A wind turbine spins in Ellershouse, N.S., in 2021. Several more onshore wind farms are under construction across the province, and many more are proposed. (Steve Lawrence/CBC)Onshore wind on the rise

The province has been pushing hard in recent years to add more onshore wind farms, with wind energy forming an integral part of the plan to reach the 2030 goal. Johnston said he expects onshore wind, as well as solar energy, to continue to be the main drivers of the renewable transition.  

He did not discount the possibility of nuclear energy production in Nova Scotia at some point down the road, but he did not expect it to happen in the near future.

“I absolutely see nuclear playing an important role for Canada as a country … Would that necessarily be in our province or would we be able to benefit through interconnection? I think these are things that have all gotta be worked out,” he said.

“But certainly in 2030, there’s no chance that we’ll have nuclear in the province by then.”

High hopes for offshore wind

As for offshore wind, he spoke in similar terms as Premier Tim Houston, who is calling for a massive buildout of offshore turbines in the coming years with the aim of exporting power to other jurisdictions.

“As you think about the provinces across Canada, Nova Scotia is probably best placed to be able to leverage that resource,” said Johnston.

“And I think that has the potential to have some real economic benefits for the province over the long term because there’s way more potential for offshore wind than we’ll ever need in this province on our own.”

a sign on a gray building says "Nova Scotia Power an Emera Company." Nova Scotia Power will gradually hand over some of its functions to the new energy system operator over the next two years. (The Canadian Press)

Johnston said it will all come down to “cost and economics.”

Houston has estimated the cost for realizing his vision — somewhere between 44 and 66 gigawatts of power, exported through a hypothetical transmission line he has dubbed “Wind West” — will be between $5 billion and $10 billion.

Houston has asked Prime Minister Mark Carney to consider financing the project as one of his government’s projects of national interest.

Johnston said it’s not yet clear to him what role the energy system operator will play in offshore development, given there is a federal-provincial offshore energy regulator.

Nevertheless, he said, he will be focused on integrating new renewable energy to the grid in “the most economic and affordable way.”

Behind the scenes

Johnston said a detailed transition plan will take shape in the coming months, and responsibilities will gradually move from Nova Scotia Power to the system operator over the course of about two years.

He said that if the operator does its job well, Nova Scotians should not notice any changes.

“We’ve got a really important role to play behind the scenes, but it really isn’t a front-and-centre role,” he said.