HALIFAX — The Nova Scotia government has granted environmental assessment approval for plans to build what it describes as the province’s largest wind energy project.
On Thursday, the Environment Department issued a statement saying the Ocean Lake Wind Project proposed for Guysborough County in eastern Nova Scotia calls for the construction of 158 turbines, each of them 221 metres tall.
The proposed sites for the turbines are near the communities of New Harbour, Goldboro, Larry’s River, Lundy and Roachvale.
Construction is expected to start in 2029, the government says, with completion slated for five years later. As well, the project must comply with 61 terms and conditions aimed at protecting the environment and human health.
The project developers are EverWind NS Holdings Ltd., a Canadian energy infrastructure company, and the Membertou Development Corp., the development arm of the Membertou First Nation in Cape Breton.
Meanwhile, Everwind Fuels is developing one of North America’s first large-scale green hydrogen and ammonia projects at Point Tupper in Cape Breton, which in its first phase will be powered by 650 megawatts of electricity from four previously announced wind farms.
The project’s first phase is expected to cost $2 billion. Electricity from this initial phase is scheduled to flow in 2028, with the hydrogen and ammonia plant coming online a few years later.
The first phase is projected to produce about 200,000 tonnes of clean ammonia a year. Ammonia is the most common way to ship hydrogen long distances.
The Ocean Lake Project is expected to power Everwind’s second phase, which could add another 800,000 tonnes of ammonia production per year. Phase 2 calls for generating two gigawatts of electricity from up to three additional onshore wind projects.
Once the Ocean Lake Wind Project is operational, it will generate about 1,200 megawatts of clean electricity, enough to power the equivalent of 400,000 homes, the government says.
The Environment Department says its Ocean Lake’s green energy will reduce Nova Scotia’s annual greenhouse gas emissions by about 1.94 million tonnes, or the equivalent of removing 420,000 gas-powered vehicle from the road.
Construction of the Ocean Lake project is expected to create more than 400 construction jobs, generating about $11 million in annual tax revenue for the Municipality of the District of Guysborough.
The Nova Scotia government has committed to phasing out its coal-fired power plants by 2030 while also reducing greenhouse gas emissions from electricity production by more than 90 per cent of 2005 levels.
Canada and the European Union are working together to bring Canadian hydrogen to the continent as a way to wean countries like Germany off Russian energy exports.
In March, Everwind Fuels CEO Trent Vichie said the company had yet to sign up any customers.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 2, 2026.
Michael MacDonald, The Canadian Press