Hanwha’s Q ENERGY France and Hanwha Ocean Enter Pre-Qualification for Offshore Wind Bid in Nova Scotia, Canada
Press Release + Noah Note
Pre-Qualification Entry Comes as Hanwha Group Advances Multi-Sector Investment Supporting Canada’s Long-Term Energy, Defence and Industrial Capacity
Paris, France, 14th January 2026 – Together with its sister company Hanwha Ocean, Q ENERGY France, a Hanwha company, today announced its participation in the pre-qualification process to participate in a call for bids for seabed licences to develop offshore wind projects in Nova Scotia, Canada. This step underscores the company’s ambition to contribute to Canada’s clean energy transition through large-scale, sustainable offshore wind developments.
As part of the Hanwha Group, one of South Korea’s leading global business groups, Q ENERGY France brings over 25 years of experience in renewable energy alongside the wide-ranging industrial and technological capabilities of its parent company. Spanning energy & ocean solutions, defence and shipbuilding, aerospace & mechatronics, finance, and retail & services, Hanwha Group’s diverse portfolio positions the group to make a significant contribution to the economic growth of Canada and Nova Scotia.
Through the development of offshore wind projects, Q ENERGY France aims to support local supply chains, create skilled jobs, and foster innovation in the regional maritime and energy sectors. The company is committed to working closely with Canadian and Nova Scotian partners, communities, and stakeholders to ensure that its offshore wind activities deliver shared value, local industrial benefits, and sustainable growth.
Hanwha Ocean’s Energy Plant Unit has partnered with Q ENERGY to take part in the prequalification, as the company accelerates its expansion into the global offshore wind market, leveraging its shipbuilding and plant expertise to become a global EPCIO* Player.
This pre-qualification comes as Hanwha Group continues to expand its long-term engagement in Canada across multiple strategic sectors, including its participation in the high-profile Canadian Patrol Submarine Project (CPSP) as one of the two shortlisted bidders through Hanwha Ocean. Together, these initiatives reflect Hanwha’s intent to invest across multiple sectors, leveraging its diversified portfolio to support industrial development, job creation, and national growth objectives.
“As we enter the pre-qualification process for this offshore wind opportunity in Nova Scotia, we are proud to bring Q ENERGY France’s expertise to Canada’s energy transition,” said Junu Lee, CEO of Hanwha’s Q ENERGY. “We are focused on delivering high-quality offshore wind projects, while our mother company, Hanwha Group, through its diverse business areas, including defence supply, is well positioned to contribute also to the economic growth of Canada and the region, supporting broader industrial development alongside the clean energy transition.”
About Q ENERGY
Q ENERGY is Europe's full-service partner for renewable energy projects in Europe. The company is active along the entire value chain of renewable energy projects - from solar farms, onshore and offshore wind projects to energy storage solutions and hybrid power plants. Nearly 600 employees in the Berlin headquarters and international offices are currently driving a development pipeline of 8.5 GW across Europe. Building on more than 25 years of experience and +2.5 GW completed renewable energy assets, Q ENERGY is currently active in Spain, Portugal, France, and Germany. Together with its independent sister company Hanwha Qcells, Q ENERGY forms the energy division of its mother company and top-tier Korean enterprise Hanwha Solutions Corporation.
About Hanwha Ocean
Hanwha Ocean is a leading global shipbuilder with more than four decades of experience across complex naval and commercial shipbuilding programmes. Supported by its large-scale, integrated Geoje shipyard in South Korea, Hanwha Ocean combines proven industrial capacity with operational experience to deliver modern, in-service naval platforms backed by a resilient lifecycle support model. Since its establishment in 1973, the shipyard has delivered over 1,400 vessels worldwide, including more than 110 naval ships, and has built deep expertise in submarine and surface combatant design, construction, and through-life support for the Republic of Korea Navy.
Hanwha Ocean is the designer and builder of the KSS-III submarine, one of the most advanced conventional submarines currently in service, a platform that underpins its selection by the Government of Canada in August 2025 as one of the two qualified bidders for the Canadian Patrol Submarine Project (CPSP). For more information, please visit: https://kss-iii.ca/
Noah Note: Energy is one area that Hanwha is aggressively targeting as part of its commitments to CPSP. Along with offshore wind, both Hanwha and Hyundai Heavy Industries have been exploring LNG and natural gas investments in BC and Alberta.
You should expect to hear more from Hanwha Power Systems, Hanwha Aerospace, HHI Engine & Machinery Division, HD Hyundai Electric, and HD Hyundai Energy Solutions in the coming weeks as more commitments are made.
There are numerous angles that could be explored here. Hanwha obviously is tackling wind here, a field they are very familiar in. Hanwha recently delivered the tenth Wind Mover-class Wind Turbine Installation Vessels (WTIVs) to Cadeler, each capable of handling massive 15MW+ turbines. Q Energy, as a leader in wind repowering with an over one-gigawatt portfolio, brings the experienced lifecycle manager—which is probably why they're the ones taking the lead here.
Hanwha also is the majority owner of Thomassen Energy, whose FlameSheet technology allows existing natural gas turbines to transition to 100% hydrogen combustion over time, something that has gotten at least some interest around, at least from what I hear. Hanwha is also a leading producer of Integrally Geared Centrifugal Compressors.
For HHI, I feel like little needs to be said. They hold the dominant market share in new-build LNG carriers and are the first to secure classification approval for high-pressure ammonia dual-fuel engines (HiMSEN). HD Hyundai Electric has quietly become a backbone supplier for North American grid modernization, securing several contracts for 765kV ultra-high-voltage transformers across the United States, including a new contract just last week and a contract in September valued at $263 Million CAD.
Most of this is backed on the expansion of AI Data Centers, who I will not forgive for making me pay an exorbitant price for my new RAM sticks last month. However, it makes sense that energy is becoming one of the main, if not the main, anchor of investment as part of CPSP. It is an area both companies can dominate in compared to their German rivals, and an area both need little incentive or pushing to make the investments in.
Of course, this comes ahead of an upcoming delegation visit led by Chief of Staff to the President Kang Hoon-sik that will be coming the week of the 27th. I expect we will get more info, and more promises, when they come by to visit.
It is all about how to get where we need to be. If a French company and a Korean can help is build the expertise for offshore wind farms in Nova Scotia, that gives us a base to providing on shore systems to diversify the sources.
At this point, the Maritimes are playing catch up, and the few mountain top units aren’t enough to make a serious dent in the required supply. And if Halifax is going to become s major ship building site, they will need allot more power to run the yards.
We have been sitting on our laurels from WWII for too long, and now we need to do what we ought to have done starting 50 years ago: stand on our own without an American crutch.
Heavens! The plot thickens.