EverWind Fuels has proposed a large-scale green ammonia project with an eye-watering cost estimate for the first phase of development – CAD 16bn ($11.58bn US).
In an environmental assessment filing, EverWind proposes to build a renewable energy hub producing green ammonia in three phases on the Burin Peninsula in Newfoundland and Labrador.
The full project will involve the construction and operation of 10 GW of wind power from three separate wind farms, as well as 2.5 GW of solar power from three solar facilities.
In the first phase, known as the Lower-Burin Peninsula, the developer would build a 3 GW wind farm and a 750 MW solar farm. That renewable energy would power 1.65 GW of electrolysis to produce 180,000 tons per year of green hydrogen, which in turn would be converted into 1 million tons per year of green ammonia.
The cost of the Newfoundland project on a like-for-like basis is now expected to be slightly higher than EverWind’s Point Tupper project in Nova Scotia, taking into account the different configurations for power sourcing, a spokesperson for EverWind said via email.
The Nova Scotia project will be connected to the electrical grid and therefore incur higher operating costs, while the Newfoundland project will have a direct connection to the renewable generation.
The current cost estimate for the Nova Scotia project is CAD 3.5bn to produce around 240,000 tons of green ammonia per year, the spokesperson said.
In earlier filings, EverWind said the Point Tupper hydrogen and ammonia plant would cost CAD 1bn+, while separate filings for three wind farms show the costs adding up to CAD 1.06bn. An additional 300 MW solar farm is also part of the Point Tupper project.