W E B I N A R A R C H I V E
Webinar 3 | The Future of Offshore Wind Regulation in Canada & Insights from Global Best Practices
MRC’s 3rd Ask an Expert webinar will delve into the complex world of regulatory frameworks, focusing on the policies and laws that guide the development, deployment, and management of offshore wind farms.
This time, the webinar will feature two speakers – providing attendees with a unique opportunity to explore and compare different ways of regulating offshore wind, while also gaining insight into how Canada’s approach fits within the global context.
Get ready to dive into the fascinating world of offshore wind regulation with expert guests, Jon Brady, Deputy Director of the Renewable and Electrical Energy Division in the Department of Natural Resources and Gordon McIntosh, Chairman of Aberdeen International Associates (AIA).
Meet the speakers 👇
Jon Brady serves as Deputy Director of the Renewable and Electrical Energy Division at Canada’s Department of Natural Resources. He leads the Offshore Renewables team, driving legislative, regulatory, and policy development for offshore renewable energy projects. Notably, Jon spearheads efforts such as Bill C-49, expanding the mandate of Offshore Petroleum Boards to regulate these projects in Canada’s offshore areas. His team is also developing regulations under the Canadian Energy Regulator Act for federal offshore areas. With two decades of experience, Jon has shaped federal legislative frameworks for renewable energy projects and possesses expertise in wind, solar, geothermal, tidal energy, and transmission lines.
Gordon McIntosh has over 40 years of experience in the energy sector and has been involved with Offshore Wind since 2001. He co-founded Aberdeen Renewable Energy Group (AREG) to bolster the region’s economy by integrating renewables alongside North Sea Oil and Gas. As a former Director of the Aberdeen Bay Offshore Wind Farm, Gordon oversaw project planning, consent, and delivery. He now advises various stakeholders globally, spanning governments, developers, supply chains, and local communities. At AIA, Gordon consults for Offshore Wind developers like SSE and CIP. He’s recently advised Nova Scotia’s Provincial Government on Offshore Wind Licensing and Power-to-X. AIA serves as advisors to Canada’s Ocean Supercluster, leveraging local supply chains through organizations like MRC.
Gordon’s extensive career includes roles as Deputy Minister of Natural Resources for Newfoundland and Labrador and Director of Economic Development for Aberdeen City. He remains a Director at AREG, holds a Visiting Professorship at Robert Gordon University, and previously led the World Energy Cities Partnership as Secretary General.
Webinar 2 | Environmental Impacts & Effects of Offshore Wind
In this second webinar of MRC’s Ask an Expert series, we’ll explore the Environmental Impacts and Effects of Offshore Wind with expert guest Dr. Sarah Courbis, Marine Protected Species & Regulatory Specialist with Worley Consulting. Join us as we delve into topics like mitigation measures and the latest technology innovations for improving marine environment monitoring and mitigation, as well as the potential range of onshore and offshore impacts on marine mammals, fish, benthic habitats, and more.
Dr. Courbis has been working in marine science and regulation for over 25 years. As a senior scientist with the Worley Consulting, Sarah focuses on marine protected species and specializes in impact assessment, permitting and compliance, and mitigation. She has been supporting offshore wind projects in the US for nearly a decade and worked on environmental assessment and compliance for LNG, seismic, fisheries, coastal development, marine hydrokinetics (tidal and wave energy), and oil and gas projects. She has co-managed a National Marine Sanctuary for the US National Marine Fisheries Service and has done projects for organizations such as the American Clean Power Association, including a review of offshore wind impacts to wildlife.
Don’t miss this opportunity to gain valuable knowledge from an industry expert on the environmental impacts and effects of offshore wind, as well as the innovative mitigation measures and monitoring strategies that are shaping the future of sustainable marine energy solutions.
Webinar 1 | Offshore Wind Technologies 101
Let’s start at the very beginning. How does offshore wind work? In this first webinar of MRC’s Ask an Expert series, we’ll explore how power is created, where it goes, how big these offshore wind turbines really are, the difference between floating and fixed, footprint of farms, onshore facilities required, and more!
To answer these questions for Canadians, we’ll be hearing from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) Research Engineer, Mark Severy. PNNL is one of America’s leading centers for scientific discovery and innovation in sustainable energy. Mark’s cutting edge work on offshore wind energy at PNNL includes collecting meteorological and oceanographic data on potential offshore wind areas via lidar buoys, evaluating the potential environmental effects of offshore wind farms, and planning for transmission. Mark is a licensed mechanical engineer and holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, and a MS in Environmental Engineering from Humboldt State University in California.
Join MRC and guest speaker, Mark Severy, to learn more about offshore wind technology basics and best practices to address some of the challenges with deploying offshore wind at a commercial scale.