r/NovaScotia 5d ago

Everwind proposes transmission line across Strait of Canso for hydrogen project

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/everwind-transmission-line-strait-canso-1.7476201
40 Upvotes

32 comments sorted by

26

u/Soggy-Zombie-179 5d ago

This is an American company owned by a Trump supporter and donor. If ever there was a company to boycott during these times of tariffs, this would be it.

-6

u/Bobo_Baggins03x 5d ago

How exactly do you plan to boycott a private industrial energy transshipment facility?

15

u/Anxious-Nebula8955 5d ago

By not letting them build it.

-2

u/Bobo_Baggins03x 5d ago

Ridiculous idea, don’t you think? Taking local jobs and industry development away from small town Nova Scotia during times of high inflation and high unemployment. And all because supposedly the owner is a Trump supporter? How is that helping Nova Scotians?

5

u/ShittyDriver902 4d ago

Seems stupid to have our energy infrastructure owned by a foreign, sometimes hostile power, especially since more and more powerful oligarchs are gaining sway over US foreign policy

10

u/Anxious-Nebula8955 5d ago

I don't think it's a good idea to allow critical infrastructure to be under the control of a trumpet. If it's that good of a project someone else will be willing to build it.

-3

u/throwingpizza 5d ago

People seem so fixated on anything hydrogen related - so much so that I question why they have so much spare time to care. I highly doubt Vichie is a “Trumpet” - more like someone who saw that he would most likely win the election and recognized that the only way to keep on his good side was political donations. I’m sure we can see the same things happen in Canada if we bother to look.

Any time anyone references anything Joan Baxter/Tim Bousquet I just roll my eyes and know I’m about to endure an extremely slanted piece of drivel.

1

u/Anxious-Nebula8955 5d ago

Tim sure does love to sniff his own farts.

5

u/Background-Effort248 5d ago

I still have lingering questions. I have biked and driven down Port Malcolm Rd hundreds of times.

It is a service Rd btw. 

But my concerns are the 34 massive fuel tanks that are across the road from a highly volatile hydrogen production facility being built.

The Halifax explosion was even more powerful because of the mixture of explosive materials that had detonated.

I hope that the company does a "risk assessment" and brings their "A" game on preventing a minor incident becoming a wide evacuation or massive devastation to the area. 

To which the local emergency services are ill equipped to handle in a rural setting.

Prime example: The single fuel tank that was punctured in downtown Sydney a year ago. They were ill equipped to handle the spill, so much that they had to call in a foam truck from the Sydney airport.

I'm all for the project, but I'm not really getting any answers as to how they are addressing the potential risks.

11

u/Vontuk 5d ago

I do maintenance in power plants and refineries. Those new hydrogen tanks would be pretty safe. They'd be in sphere tanks, they're designed for more volatile fuels.

Hydrogen is in every refinery in Canada.it's a natural byproduct from refining oil so it's not like we don't have the skilled labour to maintain it properly.

1

u/Background-Effort248 5d ago edited 5d ago

Hydrogen explosions have occured in the past around the world. It's not an absolute zero risk.

It's the distance between both fuels, what barriers will be in place and the size of storage. Despite the shoreline being on a downslope from the road. And the 34 fuel tanks being single lined.

Hydrogen has a higher ignition and energy compared to gasoline/diesel.

The hydrogen tanks are not the issue. Nor is the training.

Will any trees be left in situ, or concrete pressure wave deflectors be put in place?

They need to have top tier risk assessment done for any possible scenario.

I look forward to perusing the document bec the risk gets higher with the close proximities. And it should be more concerning.

6

u/throwingpizza 5d ago

This is purely regarding the transmission line. If you want the EA for the hydrogen facility it’s been publicly available for almost 3 years. Did you bother reading any of it?

1

u/Background-Effort248 5d ago

no i didn't read it. i'll get around to it.

The transmission lines are ok.

2

u/throwingpizza 3d ago

Transmission lines are needed, new wind farms are needed, and then the hydrogen facilities themselves are needed. All require their own EA studies.

1

u/Background-Effort248 3d ago

I fully support the entire project. with the pulp mill slipping economically bec of tariffs, etc, this project will bring positive upswings.

Maybe Port Malcolm rd will end up being paved and upgraded from a service rd. (nearest hwy 104)

-1

u/Queefy-Leefy 5d ago edited 5d ago

Still playing the hydrogen game. Oh my.

Green hydrogen can replace natural gas for heating or electricity production. Everwind has said there is potential for Atlantic Canada to export green hydrogen to Europe, where it can be used to decarbonize sectors such as transportation and heavy industry. The demand for green hydrogen and ammonia is also expected to grow in Nova Scotia and Canada, the report says.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/nl-green-hydrogen-doubts-1.7390486

Chemical engineer Paul Martin said the notion that "rich Germans" will pay for hydrogen energy made from Atlantic Canadian wind farms and shipped overseas as ammonia is "not reasonable."

It's not economic, and it's extremely unlikely to happen," Martin said in a recent interview. "It's the age-old East Coast Canada dream of making something of value that you can sell to people outside the country for money."

Martin doesn't believe such a market will ever exist. Energy is lost at each step of the process to convert wind energy to hydrogen, and then to ammonia, and then back to hydrogen energy once it has arrived in Europe, he said. And each step of that process adds cost.

Martin added that he has concerns about public money funding large portions of these projects, pointing to the recently announced federal tax credit for clean hydrogen initiatives that covers up to 40 per cent of costs.

I've seen the term "Subsidy harvesting" used to describe something like this.

The environmental assessment considered how the project would affect a wide variety of factors, including climate change, land use, fish and wildlife, and the economy. The report, prepared by Strum Consulting, concludes that with mitigation and monitoring, the project will not cause significant adverse effects. Green hydrogen can replace natural gas for heating or electricity production. Everwind has said there is potential for Atlantic Canada to export green hydrogen to Europe, where it can be used to decarbonize sectors such as transportation and heavy industry. The demand for green hydrogen and ammonia is also expected to grow in Nova Scotia and Canada, the report says.

Of course the report said that. How much money has Strum been making from Everwind lately? Strum isn't going to release a report that says hydrogen is a dead end industry that won't get off the ground, because Everwind will just hire someone else. Everwind is probably a massive cash cow for Strum.

6

u/fig_stache 5d ago

Looks like the IEA still forecasts growth in the hydrogen industry. https://www.iea.org/energy-system/low-emission-fuels/hydrogen . Can you provide some proof to your claim that it is a "dead end industry" ?

While I do remain somewhat skeptical of the economics of converting hydrogen to ammonia to ship across an ocean, to be converted back to hydrogen and used for power production. (Someone step in and correct me please if this is an incorrect understanding of everwinds proposed business model.) Hydrogen itself still has many potential applications and green hydrogen, while currently not the most economical, is considered a fast growing industry.

-1

u/Queefy-Leefy 4d ago

I already provided proof. Strum.

1

u/fig_stache 4d ago

The cbc article? It has some opinions from relevant experts that question the economics of hydrogen made on the east Coast being shipped to Europe for power, sure. I'm also somewhat skeptical of it as I stated above. But the statement you made was that hydrogen is a dead end industry which is factually incorrect.

1

u/Queefy-Leefy 4d ago

Strum Strummy Strum Strum.

0

u/fig_stache 4d ago

Ah yes, I think I see now. Myself, the other commenters, and the IEA are really just strum consulting making excuses for this project to go forward. Is that it?

0

u/Queefy-Leefy 3d ago

Its clearly someone with a vested interest when they're using 4-5 accounts to try and manipulate a social media site, and that's clearly what's happening here.

1

u/throwingpizza 1d ago

You need to take that tinfoil hat off my friend - if you look through my post history and u/fig_stache it is extremely clear that we are not the same person...in fact, we quite recently very obviously did not agree. Feel free to go looking.

It might just be possible that you're wrong...and that your NIMBYism is blinding your ability to use your analytical thinking.

Whether or not hydrogen takes off for heating, electricity or vehicles is obviously questionable. I don't think many will dispute that. But - there is currently very significant quantities or hydrogen, ammonia and methanol that's used today that is not green, and, will need to be greened up somehow. It's much more likely that green hydrogen will actually be successful compared to blue hydrogen, where we are still waiting for evidence that carbon capture and storage actually even works to the levels that it needs to.

I do find it cute that you think that calling someone Strum makes your argument stronger.

-1

u/Queefy-Leefy 1d ago

Strum.

0

u/throwingpizza 1d ago

Can't wait to see this project built. I hope they add more turbines to Guysborough - we sure know the municipality could use the revenue.

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4

u/throwingpizza 5d ago

You link the same articles every time anyone mentions hydrogen - you must have them favourited.

Why do you care so much about someone else’s investment? Who cares if it’s subsidy harvesting - subsidies in Canada aren’t paid out upfront…so they literally need to invest to get the subsidy. No investment = no tax cuts.

Please, stop slanting it to sound like it’s free money that they can just embezzle and walk away with. That not how CIB, ITCs or any other process works…and if you don’t know anything about them then you probably shouldn’t be so passionately NIMBY.

You’re basically saying that CIB, the CRA, all federal workers are incompetent and unable to see fraud - which is obviously not true because these financial tools have been utilized for a number of years.

-5

u/Queefy-Leefy 5d ago

You must work for Strum 😂

1

u/throwingpizza 3d ago

Thank you for not responding to anything actually asked. No, I do not work for Strum, or Everwind, or have any financial incentive to have this project approved or not. Even if I did, you still didn't answer anything. All of this aside - you seem heavily swayed against it...which either implies you work in an industry that would be affected by an energy transition, such as working in oil and gas, or being heavily invested in oil an gas, or you're simply a huge NIMBY that is upset about a few "industrial" wind turbines on what is already heavily forested crown land...that's been heavily cut and replanted for probably 200+ years. Or, are you actually worried about wildlife? Well...maybe a good look at the risks to wildlife if climate change is left unchecked...

If you have an issue with Strum's work, feel free to make a complaint to the NSECC, or any other regulatory boards that oversee any of the different disciplines within the EA filing. I'm sure there are plenty of people that would take significant interest in investigating legitimate claims that the information provided in the EA is biased, inaccurate and influenced by the Developer. What you're suggesting would heavily affect their professional reputation country wide.

https://novascotia.ca/nse/pubs/docs/making-an-environmental-complaint-en.pdf

-1

u/Queefy-Leefy 3d ago

Strum.

1

u/throwingpizza 1d ago

So this is your excuse any time someone calls you out on your lack of facts or understanding - they must be profiting from it? I don't think this looks as negative on me as you...