Newfoundland and Labrador Energy Minister Andrew Parsons poses for a photo in St. John's, N.L., on Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. Parsons announced that four proposed wind-powered hydrogen projects had cleared the province's call for bids for Crown lands. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sarah Smellie
ST. JOHN’S, N.L. – Four companies are one step closer to building wind-powered hydrogen and ammonia plants on the blustery island of Newfoundland.
The province announced today it has chosen four proposals from an initial pool of 24, and asked the companies to formally apply for the Crown land needed to realize the projects.
The successful bidders include the Newfoundland and Labrador arm of EverWind Fuels, based in Nova Scotia, and World Energy GH2, a company whose directors include seafood billionaire John Risley and Brendan Paddick, a close friend of Premier Andrew Furey.
Energy Minister Andrew Parsons assured reporters today that political ties played no role in the process used to evaluate and select the successful projects.
He notes that the team assigned to analyze the proposals included an independent fairness adviser, as well as a third-party financial analyst and representatives from the Department of Indigenous Affairs and Reconciliation.
The government launched its call for bids on Crown land last December from companies looking to develop wind and hydrogen projects.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 30, 2023.
