Bill 193 "Powering the Economy Act"

Premier Tim Houston introduced the “Powering the Economy Act” on February 24, 2026. The legislature passed the Act on April 9, 2026.

The Act is an omnibus bill with three interconnected pillars: offshore wind revenue, subsurface resource regulation, and electricity system modernization.

We are not lawyers or experts on Bills and legislation. The summary here is very simple. We understand that the Ecology Action Centre is preparing a more in-depth analysis of Bill 193. Once that is published, we will link to it here.

In terms of the environment and public health, the main concerns with this Bill rest in Clause 33 (1-3) and Clause 37 (1-3). 

Clause 37 basically says:

• Anyone who does not comply with this Act or its regulations or an order made under this Act (like expropriation of your property) is liable to a fine of max $100,000 and /or 2 years in jail.

• If an offence is committed on more than one day or continues for more than one day, each day will be concidered a new offence and you will be charged accordingly.

New Legislation Created by the Act

1. Offshore Renewable Energy Revenue Act (New)
This is the centrepiece of the bill. The bill creates the new Offshore Renewable Energy Revenue Act to provide a revenue framework for offshore wind projects. One levy is set in the legislation, and another will be set in regulations to reflect market conditions. 

The specific financial terms are: Nova Scotia plans to ask offshore wind developers to pay the province $7,000 per megawatt of their turbines’ capacity each year for the first ten years of operation. Under the first phase of development, during which the province is aiming for up to five gigawatts, that would add up to $35 million for provincial coffers each year. CBC News

After the first 10 years, the Province can continue applying the $7,000 levy or apply a levy set in regulations that reflects a percentage of gross revenue — whichever is greater. The gross revenue royalty would be set later in regulations, but the province is considering sticking with their earlier target of four per cent.

On bid fees: under regulations, offshore wind bid applications will require a $250,000 refundable fee, and winning offshore wind bidders will pay a $750,000 non-refundable licence fee

Implication: This establishes the first formal revenue-sharing regime for offshore wind in Nova Scotia. The initial $7,000/MW levy was deliberately set below the originally proposed 4% gross revenue royalty to attract developers, representing a calculated trade-off between near-term income and long-term industry growth. Critics, including the Liberal opposition, have argued the province should also hold an equity stake rather than relying solely on fees. The framework gives developers commercial certainty while preserving government flexibility after year 10.

2. Subsurface Energy Resource Extraction Act (New — replaces the Petroleum Resources Act)

The act repeals the Petroleum Resources Act and introduces the new Subsurface Energy Resource Extraction Act, which will regulate onshore oil and gas, as well as geothermal, natural hydrogen, helium, and carbon storage projects.

The new act will continue to regulate oil and natural gas extraction, and it will fill a void for regulating four other areas: geothermal, natural hydrogen, helium and carbon storage. There are several companies exploring for natural hydrogen, also known as white or geologic hydrogen, in Cumberland County

Implication: This is one of the most contentious elements of the bill. The replacement of the older Petroleum Resources Act with broader legislation signals an intent to revive and expand onshore fossil fuel and resource extraction alongside clean energy development. The Houston government is leading what it calls the $30-million Subsurface Energy R&D Investment Program (SERDIP), described by critics as a program to kickstart hydraulic fracturing (fracking) in the province. The Energy Mix Environmental groups have raised significant concerns, with Nova Scotia’s fracking coalition publishing a report flagging 20 “red flags” about the plan. Proponents argue natural hydrogen and geothermal could be genuinely clean contributions to the energy mix, while the onshore oil and gas provisions have drawn the sharpest opposition