Cape Breton communities hope to cash in on Canada-Germany hydrogen deal
Richmond County warden questions how projects will benefit residents
The mayor of a Cape Breton town hopes this week's $600-million announcement to begin exporting hydrogen from Nova Scotia to Germany will mean hundreds of jobs for her community and others.
Officials from Canada and Germany were in Cape Breton on Wednesday to tour the site where EverWind Fuels wants to build a facility in Point Tupper. The company plans to use wind energy to produce what it says will be green hydrogen and convert it to ammonia for export to Europe.
EverWind, along with another project by Bear Head Energy, has received environmental assessment approval to begin building facilities in Point Tupper. The timeline for when the companies could begin exporting hydrogen is still unclear.
Brenda Chisholm-Beaton, mayor of Port Hawkesbury, co-chairs the Strait Area Offshore Wind Task Force and said she's seen the emergence of worldwide demand for Canadian-produced hydrogen through their participation in wind energy conferences in Germany and Denmark over the past two years.
"It's definitely going to create, locally, thousands of construction jobs and hundreds of full-time permanent jobs as that construction phase comes to an end," Chisholm-Beaton said on Wednesday.
"Selfishly, I'm hoping for growth for the town of Port Hawkesbury ... but also for all of our surrounding municipalities."
Jonathan Wilkinson, Canada's minister of energy and natural resources, confirmed Canada's commitment of $300 million to launch Atlantic Canada's hydrogen export industry. The expectation is that Germany will match these funds later this year.
But some Nova Scotians have raised concerns about energy generated from local wind farms being used to create green hydrogen for export, rather than going into the local grid.
Wilkinson responded to those concerns Wednesday, saying that he and his office are collaborating with the provincial government to end the province's use of coal and fossil fuels by a 2030 deadline.
"We are working very hard to ensure that we keep our commitment to support Nova Scotia in the work that is being done," Wilkinson said.
Strait Area leaders want their share
The minister's pledge is key to Richmond County Warden Amanda Mombourquette. She said she's concerned about the needs of low-income county residents hoping renewable energy brings sought-after financial relief.
"It definitely is something that keeps me up at night," Mombourquette said shortly after the Canada-Germany deal became public on Wednesday.
"I know that there are families that are having to choose between, you know, 'Do I get groceries this week or do I pay my energy bills this week?' And, so, we need to keep that in mind."
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At the same time, Mombourquette described Wednesday's announcement as "really good news" and suggested that Ottawa's action could spark other hydrogen developers and similar renewable energy interests to set up shop in the Strait Area.
"I think you'll see additional investment interest now, even from the private sector, because they're seeing such clear support from the federal government," she said.
Karina Hauslmeir, deputy head of mission at the German Embassy in Ottawa, assured attendees at Wednesday's announcement that their communities are already receiving attention in her country.
Noting that the original announcement of a Canada-Germany hydrogen corridor in 2022 in Stephenville, N.L., put that "little community" on "the evening news in Germany," Hauslmeir enthusiastically spoke of the deal's potential to help Germany reach its 2045 emission-reduction targets.
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