Welcome to the Strait area’s green energy revolution
Although this region has worked to get involved in greener, more sustainable forms of energy – like wind and solar – it appears that green hydrogen and ammonia also offer great promise.
Port Hawkesbury Town Council recently voted to send a letter of support for the EverWind Fuels project in Point Tupper.
EverWind is a private developer of green hydrogen and ammonia production, storage facilities, and transportation assets which purchased NuStar Energy’s Point Tupper terminal for $60 million.
EverWind said it intends to expand and develop the Point Tupper site to be the location of a regional green hydrogen hub for Eastern Canada, including new green hydrogen and ammonia production facilities.
CEO and Founder Trent Vichie told the regular monthly meeting of council on May 10 that since they officially took over on April 28, EverWind has engaged a world-class group of partners to support development of the initial phases of the project.
The company said this includes Hatch, a global multidisciplinary management, engineering, and development consultancy, that is supporting overall engineering design and working with Strum Consulting on the permitting work for the site, and NEL, a global company providing solutions for the production, storage, and distribution of hydrogen is leading detailed engineering for the supply of electrolyzers.
The company said it is also involving KBR – a global science, technology, and engineering company – that is supplying the technology for the green ammonia production unit.
Vichie told council the company is putting together and an engagement plan, to educate on green hydrogen and ammonia, and has plans to establish a steering committee with members of the community.
During “The Shift to Green” panel at the Strait Area Chamber of Commerce’s annual State of the Strait Business Update on March 30 at the Port Hawkesbury Civic Centre, Vichie explained that when electricity runs through water, it breaks the water into hydrogen and oxygen.
The CEO advised ammonia lifts the production of agriculture roughly by two times, and today is being produced from natural gas.
Noting that hydrogen will be ubiquitous throughout the world, represents the future of transport fuel, and will de-carbonize many sectors, Vichie told council that ammonia is essential for the food supply because it can double farm production, and the company is creating a carbon-free version.
As an alternative fuel, green hydrogen produced at the site is expected to help provide a green fuel for Nova Scotia and support carbon emissions reduction by over one million tonnes a year by 2025. By 2030, the project could reduce domestic and international carbon emissions by more than four million tonnes a year through the production of green hydrogen, EverWind noted.
The Point Tupper site is ideally positioned to produce green hydrogen as early as 2025, supported by significant existing in-place infrastructure, the company said, noting Point Tupper has an existing ice-free, deep-water port with 27-meter depth and two berths which are capable of accommodating the largest vessels in the world. The port is the deepest in Nova Scotia and the surrounding region.
In addition, the company said the Point Tupper site has existing rail loading facilities and is adjacent to pipeline networks to support domestic and regional markets. Electricity transmission is available at the site as well as 7.7 million barrels of liquids storage and abundant freshwater, which is adjacent to the site, they said.
EverWind pointed out that the site is operated by a highly qualified, 70-person team trained to protect the surrounding environment and deliver safe operations.
As part of a staged development, EverWind Fuels also intends to partner with offshore wind developers to further expand production over time.
In response to a question from Town Councillor Blaine MacQuarrie about the number of jobs expected from the project, Vichie said they are unable to provide precise numbers, at the moment, but expect a substantial number of construction jobs, and some jobs when the facility is up and running, noting, “it should be a very good jobs bump.”
Meanwhile, the warden for the Municipality of the County of Richmond says Bear Head LNG going green will be a real asset for the industrial park in Point Tupper.
In a May 5 media release, it was announced Buckeye Partners entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Bear Head Energy.
Richmond Municipal Council issued a letter of support for the project in 2021 and Warden Amanda Mombourquette told The Reporter the project, which was once looking to produce and export liquefied natural gas, is now set to produce and export green hydrogen and green ammonia.
The Bear Head project is fully permitted, and unique in eastern Canada with all project approvals and permits necessary for construction in place, placing it at a significant advantage, Buckeye Partners noted. The company pointed to Nova Scotia’s “unique geographical characteristics” which give the region the potential to become one of the most productive renewable and green energy development areas in the world.
As a result of this acquisition, Buckeye CEO Todd J. Russo said it is their intention to develop a “large-scale energy production, distribution and export hub that will offer our customers lower-carbon energy solutions, including LNG or other green fuels.”
From a climate change perspective, the warden said it’s time to move away from fossil fuel sources towards a green solution. She explained council is also on board with the idea that’s been presented, as it’s environmentally-focused.
But Mombourquette said the project also promises private sector growth which can help municipalities sustain services.
It’s not just the many construction jobs and the dozens of jobs during operation, these projects promise the economic benefits that alternative and sustainable energy generation can provide; from investment, to more infrastructure, to more employment, to population and business growth.
This is not to get ahead of what is promised, but is a realistic assessment of the impacts from these green projects, which have financing, natural assets, and corporate will to make them a reality.
It is an exciting time for the Strait area which is now on the cusp of reaping benefits that can transform this region.
