The main point of contention between a company proposing a green hydrogen operation in the Strait area, and those with questions and criticisms of the project, surround what is considered green energy.
Last week the Ecology Action Centre (EAC) told The Reporter it was disappointed to hear EverWind Fuels will be using a fossil fuel to operate their green hydrogen production facility in Point Tupper.
A joint investigation that was featured in an Oct. 26 article in British daily newspaper, The Guardian, questioned whether the project will be powered by coal, at the start of the project, despite EverWind maintaining that it will convert wind-generated electricity into green hydrogen.
EverWind Fuels’ has taken over the former NuStar location in Point Tupper and will operate under two phases, Phase 1 is scheduled to begin in 2025 and will convert hydrogen into 200,000 tonnes of green ammonia that year alone.
The company’s CEO, Trent Vichie, previously described green hydrogen as being the “Swiss army knife of renewable energy,” as it’s created by running electricity through water that breaks the water into hydrogen and oxygen.
The process is often used to make ammonia; something Vichie advised is used to increase the production of agriculture roughly by two times.
Phase 2, which would come into play in 2026, would see EverWind produce one million tonnes of green ammonia a year to export to Europe.
Brenna Walsh, EAC’s energy coordinator, said using coal doesn’t make any sense, in terms of the environmental goals domestically, and also in terms of the global perspective. She noted that she’s “left with a lot of questions, when considering this project.”
With the European market developing strict rules and regulations about what it will accept as an import, Walsh questioned whether EverWind would be able to sell the hydrogen produced if it potentially comes from the Nova Scotia Power grid, which is largely powered by coal.
And in terms of offshore wind, Walsh said the ECA supports using that source for the domestic market since Nova Scotia doesn’t have a pathway towards zero-carbon electricity.
When asked about the report, the Department of Natural Resources and Renewables (DNRR) told The Reporter Nova Scotia is on the verge of becoming a world leader in the development of green hydrogen, with both economic and environmental benefits.
The DNRR said there is “lots of interest in the business community to set up operations in Nova Scotia and it will take time for them to get fully established.”
The province said the global market is demanding green hydrogen, so to be successful as an exporter, any company would need to secure a renewable energy source.
The EverWind project is just one of two green hydrogen developers looking to take advantage of exporting from within the Strait area, as Buckeye Partners is also developing a large-scale green hydrogen and ammonia production, storage, and export project in Point Tupper, where the former Bear Head LNG project once stood.
Not speaking for the community in particular, Walsh believes consultation and transparency with the community is really important for any renewable development.
Ken Summers, who was a spokesperson for the Nova Scotia Fracking Resource and Action Coalition and part of Ecojustice with EAC, is now EverWind’s environmental affairs advisor. He declined The Reporter’s request for an interview and also wasn’t able to provide a written statement prior to the publication of the Nov. 9 edition.
But after The Reporter’s story was published, Vichie asserted that they will not be using a fossil fuel source to generate power for their Point Tupper green hydrogen facility, despite what is claimed in articles that were published in recent weeks.
Vichie went even further, asserting that the articles contain factual inaccuracies and misrepresentations and said their claim that they will be using fossil fuels was the furthest thing from the truth, even laughing at the question of using coal, when addressing the claims made in the article in the Oct. 26 edition of The Guardian.
Vichie said the headline for the article ignored parts of his quote to the author, including the fact that new wind energy will be in the power grid by 2025. He said power for EverWind’s initial phase will be coming from “newly built wind farms connected to the grid and specifically allocated to the project through a Power Purchase Agreement.”
Because “those electrons get added to the system, and we take them off,” Vichie, said they will not be using coal.
While their potential customers demand it, EverWind will meet the strictest global criteria for green fuel Vichie said, which is based on the European Union’s definition of Renewable Fuels from a Non-Biological Origin, requiring that fuels must be produced using renewable energy.
Vichie said the original article, which was posted on Sept. 18 in The Energy Mix, ignored the same crucial information.
In February, NuStar Energy announced that it offloaded their 7.8-million barrel storage terminal in Point Tupper to EverWind Fuels for $60 million. EverWind is a private developer of green hydrogen and ammonia production, storage facilities, and transportation assets.
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.
As part of a staged development, EverWind intends to partner with offshore wind developers to further expand production over time.
It appears the project is proceeding, but the main question is whether sustainable sources will be fueling the project in two years, or will it be an amalgam of sustainable energy sources, mixed with fossil fuels?
And in two years, if the grid is still partially fueled by coal, can this project be considered green, even if electrons are replaced?
While EverWind says this is the case, another question is whether it will be possible, by 2025, to completely transform to a provincial power grid fueled by sustainable sources, given the amount of work required?
Despite the progress made in wind energy development in Nova Scotia, this timetable seems ambitious, if not unrealistic.
The effort to go green is admirable, welcome, and necessary, but questions will continue until more is known, and that will take time.