Mersey River Wind: Breaking Ground on Energy Choice
by Dan Roscoe, CEO of Roswall
Something new is rising in Milton, Nova Scotia. With construction now underway at the Mersey River Wind project, we are witnessing the early stages of a structural shift in how Nova Scotia will power its future.
Something new is rising in Milton, Nova Scotia. With construction now underway at the Mersey River Wind project, we are witnessing the early stages of a structural shift in how Nova Scotia will power its future.
This shift is defined by local generation, modern infrastructure, and, for the first time, meaningful energy choice. For decades, electricity in this province has been something consumers simply received. That is beginning to change. Mersey River Wind represents the moment where Nova Scotia moves from a single-option system toward a cleaner, more innovative, more consumer-focused energy market.
Construction has officially begun on the Mersey River Wind project, a 33-turbine, 148.5-megawatt development located in Milton. For Roswall Development, this milestone marks the first visible step toward an emerging energy system where renewable generation is built close to home, and where customers will soon have the ability to choose who supplies their electricity.
As both a developer and, through Renewall, a future provider, our work at Mersey River is laying the groundwork for an open, modern electricity market with choice as a primary feature. Energy systems evolve the same way all essential services do: through innovation driven by customer preference. When people have the ability to choose their supplier, markets adapt. Providers compete on service, pricing models become more transparent, and in this case, investments in cleaner technologies accelerate.
Energy choice is not fragmentation. It is diversification, a strengthening of the system through multiple pathways for supply, reliability, and long-term stability. Around the world, choice has proven to be one of the most effective catalysts for improving customer experience and speeding the adoption of renewables.
Lessons from Abroad: When Choice Works
The global evidence is clear. In 2025, Octopus Energy became the largest residential energy supplier in the United Kingdom, surpassing British Gas for the first time. Customers benefited directly from this market shift, gaining access to renewable-only electricity, more flexible tariffs, and pricing that rewarded them for using power when it was cheapest and cleanest.
In Australia, expanding regional retail competition has produced similar outcomes: increased innovation, stronger customer engagement, and more rapid deployment of clean-energy technologies.
These examples are a preview of what becomes possible when new entrants bring renewable generation, digital tools, and customer-first thinking into established electricity markets. Choice accelerates progress.
What’s Happening Here in Nova Scotia
Mersey River Wind consists of 33 Vestas 4.5-megawatt turbines capable of generating 148.5 megawatts of clean electricity. Once operational, the project will produce enough renewable energy to power the equivalent of 52,000 homes and avoid approximately 220,000 tonnes of CO₂ emissions each year.
Its impact, however, goes beyond generation. Mersey River Wind is the anchor that will allow Renewall Energy to become Nova Scotia’s first retail electricity option, supplying locally generated renewable power directly to homes and businesses. For the first time, Nova Scotians will have the ability to choose their provider, and by extension, the kind of energy future they want to support.
This is the start of an entirely new energy reality for the province.
What Choice Could Mean for Nova Scotia
The implications of a more open and competitive clean-energy market are far-reaching.
For consumers:
Access to locally produced renewable electricity
More stable, predictable pricing
The ability to align personal values with energy use
For businesses and municipalities:
Long-term price certainty tied to renewable assets
Opportunities to meet sustainability commitments
Local economic benefits and reinvestment
For the province:
A more resilient grid
Greater diversity of supply
A clearer pathway to achieving and sustaining high levels of renewable penetration
Energy choice is how climate goals become operational. It is how affordability, reliability, and sustainability converge.
The Road Ahead
Construction crews are at work now. Turbines are on their way in 2026. As Mersey River Wind comes to life, it marks the beginning of a new chapter in Nova Scotia’s energy story, one that values innovation, independence, and community leadership.
The future of energy here will not be defined by a single source or a single supplier. It will be defined by the freedom to choose cleaner, smarter power built right here at home.
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Dan Roscoe is the CEO of Roswall Development, a renewable energy developer, and President of Renewall Energy, a renewable energy provider, both based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. His work is focused on building the infrastructure for a cleaner, smarter energy future across Canada and beyond.