The Record Ep. 39

Port Hawkesbury Paper and the Nova Scotia Seafood Alliance are weighing the potential impact of American tariffs on their industries.

Mike Hartery, Co-Manager of the Port Hawkesbury Paper mill in Point Tupper, told Civic Journalist Jake Boudrot that the company cannot afford a 25% increase on Canadian goods, as 93% of the mill’s products are exported to the United States.

While concerns are widespread in his sector and he has received numerous calls about the issue, Kris Vascotto, Executive Director of the Nova Scotia Seafood Alliance, is taking a wait-and-see approach to the tariff hike.

Meanwhile, Brendan Chard, Vice-President of Power at EverWind Fuels Ltd., discussed a significant financial milestone for the company’s green energy project in Point Tupper.

According to a press release issued on January 9, EverWind Fuels successfully completed and submitted the Clean Hydrogen Investment Tax Credit Clean Hydrogen Project Property Plan for Phase I of its Point Tupper Green Ammonia Project to Natural Resources Canada.

If confirmed, this project will be the first in Canada to secure the tax credit, qualifying for the maximum credit value based on an independently validated carbon intensity of clean hydrogen. Finalizing validated carbon intensity modelling and submitting the Clean Hydrogen Project plan will allow EverWind to access the highest tier of the tax credit—representing 40% of eligible capital expenditures—based on a projected carbon intensity of less than 0.75 kilograms of carbon dioxide per kilogram of green hydrogen.

These investment tax credits are crucial to ensuring Canada can provide the most cost-efficient and environmentally friendly hydrogen globally. They also help establish a competitive cost structure for early adopters, driving down costs over time.

The submission leverages a recently completed front-end engineering design study and includes an assessment of the project’s expected carbon intensity using the Fuel Life Cycle Assessment Model. These key deliverables ensure compliance with strict regulatory standards for clean hydrogen production. Life-cycle carbon intensity calculations were validated in collaboration with RWDI, a world-renowned engineering and environmental consultancy, and Deloitte Canada, a leader in carbon intensity analysis. Results confirmed that EverWind's project will achieve an industry-leading carbon reduction of over 99% compared to fossil fuel-based hydrogen production.

With the confirmation of ITC eligibility at 40%, EverWind is well-positioned to finalize binding offtake agreements and begin construction on its multi-billion-dollar production and transportation facility in 2025.

Nova Scotia’s Minister of Energy and Richmond MLA Trevor Boudreau confirmed that wind farms have been selected, with large-scale power users participating in the Green Choice Program.

Through an independent procurement process, six wind farms were chosen to support the program, and they are expected to generate more than 2,000-gigawatt hours of clean electricity per year by the end of 2028. Among the successful projects are Rhodena in Inverness County, developed by ABO Energy Canada in partnership with First Nations including Potlotek, and Eigg Mountain in Antigonish County, developed by Renewable Energy Systems Canada in partnership with Paq’tnkek and Pictou Landing First Nations.

The developers are investing approximately $73.5 million in social and economic benefits for local communities, including training, skill development, capacity-building grants, and scholarships. The projects are expected to create about 700 construction jobs and 30 full-time operational positions.

The province stated that most of the 11 large-scale electricity customers participating in the Green Choice Program will receive all their electricity through the initiative. These customers include provincial government-owned buildings and operations such as public schools, most Nova Scotia Health hospitals and health centres, the Nova Scotia Provincial Housing Agency, federal departments and agencies, Canada Post’s Crown facilities, Nova Scotia universities and colleges—including Université Sainte-Anne—and all Nova Scotia Community College campuses.

The program is open to Nova Scotia Power customers who pay the utility directly and had an average energy load of 10,000 megawatt hours per year over the past three years. The province noted that Nova Scotia Power will pay an average of $63.62 per megawatt hour for electricity from the wind farms.

In related news, the federal government, in partnership with the Government of Nova Scotia, has introduced new legislation to enable offshore renewable energy development. This follows the passage of Bill C-49 and Nova Scotia’s mirror legislation, Bill 471, which amended the federal and provincial versions of the Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Resources Accord Implementation Act.

According to a federal government press release, the legislation establishes a joint management regulatory framework for offshore renewable energy. Bill C-49 includes amendments to the Canada-Nova Scotia Accord Act to: establish the framework for offshore renewable energy development; rename the Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Board as the Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Energy Regulator (CNSOER); expand the regulator’s mandate to include offshore renewable energy projects; improve alignment with the Impact Assessment Act (IAA); support Canada’s marine conservation agenda; and modernize offshore petroleum land tenure regulations.

Minister Boudreau called offshore wind a game-changer that could position Nova Scotia as a net exporter of clean energy. With this legislation in place, the province is preparing for its first offshore wind licensing call this year, with plans to offer licences for five gigawatts of offshore wind capacity by 2030.

Meanwhile, Guysborough-Tracadie MLA Greg Morrow highlighted recent funding for the Strait of Canso Superport Corporation.

On January 20 in Mulgrave, the provincial government announced infrastructure upgrades aimed at facilitating the safe and efficient transport of large turbines through the Strait of Canso Superport Corporation. The funding supports future wind energy projects, including proposed onshore wind farms in Guysborough County.

Morrow emphasized the strategic importance of the Strait of Canso for wind energy development, noting the Superport’s crucial role.

The project includes installing a prefabricated 44-metre steel bridge at the northern end of the Mulgrave Marine Terminal, providing direct access to Route 344. The bridge was purchased from Zutphen Construction for $400,000.

The province is providing $750,000 in capital funding for the terminal upgrades, including the bridge installation.