Canadian energy transition developer Abraxas Power Corp has officially submitted the Environmental Assessment Registration (EAR) for its ambitious green energy hub project in Central Newfoundland, which will feature the installation of 3.5 gigawatts (GW) of onshore wind capacity aimed at producing hydrogen and ammonia.
The submission was made by Abraxas' subsidiary, Exploits Valley Renewable Energy Corporation (EVREC), to the Department of Environment and Climate Change of the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, as announced in a press statement on Monday.
The EVREC development is a Power-to-X (P2X) initiative, with a total estimated capital investment of CAD 12 billion (approximately USD 8.83 billion or EUR 8.04 billion). In 2023, the province granted access to over 300 square kilometers (approximately 115.8 square miles) of crown lands for the project. The hub will encompass the wind power capacity along with associated energy and molecular storage systems to facilitate behind-the-meter hydrogen and ammonia production.
Once operational, the green energy hub is expected to produce up to 200,000 tonnes of green hydrogen and 1 million tonnes of green ammonia annually, with plans to export the output to global markets. The project is currently progressing well, with several pre-construction activities already underway, including environmental data collection, resource measurement, and public consultations. The final design of the project will be informed by these ongoing assessments and activities.
Earlier this year, US engineering firm McDermott entered into an early contractor involvement (ECI) agreement with Abraxas to provide front-end engineering design (FEED), engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) execution planning services, as well as an open-book EPC cost estimate for the hydrogen production, ammonia processing, and product storage aspects of the project.
