Canada's North Atlantic Refining Initiates Phase II Environmental Assessment for 481MW Wind-to-Hydrogen Project

en.Wedoany.com Reported - Canadian energy company North Atlantic Refining has initiated the environmental assessment process for the second phase of its 60,000-tonne-per-year wind-powered hydrogen production project, with first production targeted for 2030.

The company plans to formally submit the environmental assessment application for the second phase to the province of Newfoundland and Labrador in the fourth quarter of 2026. This phase will involve constructing a wind farm with an installed capacity of 481 megawatts (MW), connected to the grid via transmission lines.

The first phase of the project, which previously received environmental approval, includes 324 MW of wind power capacity and is currently in the front-end engineering design (FEED) stage, encompassing hydrogen production and refueling facilities.

Both phases of the project are expected to produce 30,000 tonnes of green hydrogen annually, with plans to transport it to international markets using liquid organic hydrogen carriers (LOHC).

Liquid organic hydrogen carriers (LOHC) are a transport and storage solution that chemically binds hydrogen to a liquid organic carrier, allowing it to be transported using existing energy infrastructure, and are considered to have promising application prospects. However, industry experts note that LOHC technology suffers from energy efficiency losses during the hydrogen release process, a key challenge that still needs to be addressed for its commercial application.

Located in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador, the project is expected to further solidify the province's and Canada's position as a supply base for hydrogen and its derivatives. The province is highly attractive for large-scale hydrogen production projects due to its abundant renewable energy resources, supportive policy environment, and convenient international shipping routes.

In May of this year, Exploits Valley Renewable Energy Corporation (EVREC) submitted an environmental impact statement for a 1-million-tonne-per-year green ammonia project in the province.

(Source: North Atlantic Refining, Global Hydrogen Network, New Energy Network)