PORT HAWKESBURY: The proponents behind the Point Tupper-based green hydrogen and ammonia production facility have ensured the participation of local Mi’kmaw communities with a simple pen strike.
Bear Head Energy Inc. and the Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi’kmaw Chiefs signed an agreement on July 18 to agree to amend an existing Mutual Benefits Agreement (MBA).
According to Paul MacLean, the managing director at Bear Head, he advised the amended MBA will build on the 2019 Benefits Agreement and will “reinforce the commitment by both parties to develop the project in an environmentally sustainable manner,” and ensures Mi’kmaq inclusion, participation, and benefits.
“We have developed positive relationships with Mi’kmaw communities over the past several years and are pleased to be building on those relationships and commitments to amend the Benefits Agreement,” MacLean said. “And provide meaningful Mi’kmaq participation in the project.”
MBAs and other similar commercial agreements are confidential between the signatory parties, and define a voluntary and mutually beneficial long-term relationship between the project and a particular Indigenous community.
“It is important to us that the Mi’kmaq have meaningful participation in all projects happening in our territory,” Co-Chair of the Assembly and Glooscap First Nation Chief Sidney Peters said. “This Benefits Agreement will not only help us as leaders be engaged in what is happening with the project, but it will also give Mi’kmaw the opportunity to realize economic opportunities in the work that they are doing.”
In 2022, Bear Head announced its plan to develop a green hydrogen and ammonia production, storage, and loading facility in Point Tupper (Tui’knek). In April 2023, the project surpassed a historic milestone as it received Environmental Assessment approval from the Nova Scotia Department of Environmental and Climate Change.
As a wholly owned subsidiary of BAES Infrastructure, Bear Head is committed to respecting Mi’kmaw rights and supporting First Nations partners’ social, cultural, environmental, and educational goals.
Bear Head is permitted for up to two gigawatts of hydrogen electrolysers and it’s noted that at full build-out and peak power inflow, the facility could produce up to 350,000 tonnes of hydrogen and two million tonnes of ammonia per year, positioning Nova Scotia to be a leader in producing green hydrogen and ammonia, both critical components of the global energy transition.
The facility will be developed in phases and is expected to commence deliveries of green hydrogen and ammonia at costs among the lowest in the world, driven by Nova Scotia’s world-class wind resource, support from the Canadian federal government, and proximity to key markets.
In addition to the Environmental Assessment approval, Bear Head has several other permits and approvals in place, including approval to construct its marine terminal and offloading facility.
Bear Head is committed to continuing to engage with Mi’kmaw communities throughout the facility’s development process and looks forward to meeting with communities across Mi’kma’ki.
To find out more, please visit the Bear Head Energy website at www.bearheadenergy.ca.