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The province had hoped for a $11-billion industry, but projects have stalled or been taken off the books altogether
By Gary Kean
The $11 billion-a-year promise of a Newfoundland and Labrador wind-to-hydrogen industry has scaled back, with only two projects still alive five years after a feasibility study touted huge potential.
The North Atlantic Group of Companies and Exploits Valley Renewable Energy Corporation (EVREC) both have projects in development, while numerous others have stalled or been taken off the books altogether.
In 2020, the Newfoundland and Labrador Hydrogen Feasibility Study predicted big returns for hydrogen.
“Development of hydrogen production in NL and attraction of new industry could result in new green jobs and a hydrogen sector in NL valued at greater than $11 billion per year by 2050 while contributing to meeting decarbonization targets across Atlantic Canada,” said the study, conducted by Zen and the Art of Clean Energy Solutions, with Dunsky Energy
What are North Atlantic’s plans?
North Atlantic’s still-active proposal involves constructing and operating a 324-megawatt onshore wind energy project in eastern Newfoundland as well as two hydrogenation plants, including one at an existing terminal.
Combined, the plants would produce 90,000 tonnes of hydrogen per year.
North Atlantic, CEO Ted Lomond noted, is an existing company with everything in place from employees in key positions to infrastructure, including port facilities that can handle a supertanker as well as storage capacity for four million barrels.
“Our ability to export liquid hydrogen in liquid form is certainly an advantage we would have over maybe somebody other folks that have been talking about hydrogen,” he said.
The company submitted a preview report to the province recently.
The goal is to ship hydrogen from Newfoundland and Labrador in four years.
The project is on pace to have all the engineering work done by Q4 of 2026 and have a final investment decision on 2030 production in the first quarter of next year.
North Atlantic will be looking to export its hydrogen product to Europe primarily, with its recently acquired Gravenchon refinery in France as a possible entry point.
“The end markets for that right now, in terms of our offtake, are in Germany and in the Netherlands,” Lomond said.
What is EVREC’s intent?
In February, EVREC, a subsidiary of Abraxas Power Corp., was granted an extension to its land reservation until Feb. 28, 2027, so it can continue pre-construction work in central Newfoundland.
It is planning a 3.5-gigawatt onshore wind energy project consisting of three wind farms with up to 530 turbines and a 150-megawatt solar farm, along with a 2.6-gigawatt hydrogen/ammonia production facility.
The company describes it as a multi-billion-dollar project.
EVREC said it has met all requirements under the province’s wind-hydrogen framework, including the payment of Crown lands reserve fees, and remains committed to bringing “world-class green energy” to central Newfoundland.
“The advancement of EVREC is a shared success story,” J Colter Eadie, EVREC’s president, said at the time.
“Our progress is fueled by the deep collaboration and trust we have built with the residents of the Exploits Valley region, our Indigenous partners, and the local business community.”
EVREC states on its website that finalizing its environmental impact statement, securing European offtake agreements, moving engineering and design towards completion, and partnering with stakeholders.
According to the company, the project will produce approximately 180,000 tonnes of green hydrogen and 1 million tonnes of green ammonia annually.
‘Extremely heartening’
Charlene Johnson, Energy NL’s chief executive officer, said these projects come at a crucial time for the world and help position the province as an energy leader.
“If the first quarter of 2026 has taught us anything, it is that energy security remains a global priority and reliably produced Canadian energy is sought after,” she said.
“To meet this energy demand, Canada will need to rely on a diverse energy mix, and it is extremely heartening to see Newfoundland and Labrador companies at the forefront of energy market diversification.”
What happened to some of the other projects?
The largest of the now dormant or abandoned projects was proposed for Newfoundland’s west coast by World Energy GH2 Limited Partnership at an estimated cost of $12 billion. It had already secured environmental approval but could not pay the fees for its Crown land reserves.
The provincial government cancelled those Crown land reserves, as it did for hydrogen projects being pursued by EverWind NL Company on Newfoundland’s south coast and Toqlukuti’k Wind and Hydrogen Ltd. on the east coast.
Another initiative was shelved by global market conditions.
Argentia Renewables withdrew plans for a wind energy and green fuel project from environmental assessment in November 2025 due to conditions that made their plans less feasible.
Pattern Energy, parent company of Argentia Renewables, said it was not walking away from a hydrogen project completely, but planned to resubmit a wind energy-only project for environmental assessment. It hoped to reconsider the green fuel when market conditions were more conducive.
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