Canada’s Atlantic sector is blessed with a plethora of renewable energy resources: onshore wind power, offshore wind power, and even tidal power are all viable options.
Not surprisingly two Canadian energy companies chose to take advantage of everything the area offers, with two simultaneous operations for producing ammonia and green hydrogen about to commence.
The first company is Bear Head Energy. The company originally had approval for a LGN site in the Point Tupper Industrial Park on the strait of Canso. That project has since been shelved in favour of a dramatic new plan to produce ammonia and hydrogen while taking advantage of the region’s robust green power resources.
The project will involve 2 gigawatts of hydrogen electrolysers. Running at peak capacity, the plant is expected to generate 350,000 tonnes of hydrogen and two million tonnes of ammonia annually.
The project will be constructed in phases. It is expected that the first deliveries of ammonia and hydrogen will tak place in 2028. Thanks to support from the Canadian government, the availability of low cost, abundant renewable energy from onshore and offshore wind, the area’s deep-water ports, and a location that allows unrestricted access to world markets, it is anticipated that the prices will rank among the most competitive in the world.
Because of the advantageous location, it’s not surprising that Bear Head Energy will have company at the Point Tupper Industrial Park. EverWind Fuels, developer of green hydrogen and ammonia production, is also a resident of the park. Recently, EverWind Fuels received environmental approval for the initial phase of a $6 billion, 1 million tonnes per annum green hydrogen and green ammonia project in the same location.
According to EverWind, receiving environmental approval was a significant milestone for the company and its First Nations equity partners, Membertou, Paqtnkek (Bayside Development Corporation), and Potlotek, and it paves the way for constructionto commence in the first half of 2023.
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True to its name, EverWind is now applying for leases on 137,000 acres of land to develop a 2 GW onshore wind farm expected to power the second phase of its green hydrogen production facility by 2026.
EverWind has plans to deliver green ammonia to German off-takers, E.ON and Uniper, by 2025, achieving the goals outlined in the Canada-Germany Hydrogen Alliance signed in August of 2022.
EverWind acquired the Point Tupper terminal in early 2022, which the company asserts has the capacity to produce more than 10 million tonnes per year of green ammonia. With around $1 billion of existing storage and logistics assets, the terminal makes for an ideal hydrogen hub. In addition to its port facility, it is also connected with critical infrastructure including rail, road, and pipelines.
Once up and running, EverWind expects to produce 1 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) of green hydrogen and ammonia.
With two maor projects funded, approved, and under-way, it seems that Canada’s Atlantic coast is set to become a major player in the world’s green fuel markets, with plenty of room and scope for additional expansion in the years to come.