GUYSBOROUGH – The province has approved the Upper Afton Wind Project, a 176-megawatt development tied to EverWind Fuels’ green hydrogen plans, less than seven weeks after the proposal was registered for environmental assessment.
In a decision dated April 22, Environment and Climate Change Minister Timothy Halman concluded the project can proceed under 58 terms and conditions, writing that he is “satisfied that any adverse effects or significant environmental effects of the undertaking can be adequately mitigated.”
The approval follows the project’s March 6 registration and comes within the province’s targeted review window for Class I environmental assessments, part of a streamlined process introduced in 2025 to accelerate clean-energy development.
The project – owned by Membertou Development Corp. and EverWind N.S. Holdings Ltd. – would see up to 28 turbines, each rated at eight megawatts, installed across Antigonish and Guysborough counties. Power from the site is intended to support hydrogen production at EverWind’s Point Tupper energy hub.
Construction is expected to begin in 2027, employing an estimated 200 to 250 workers. Once operational in 2029, the facility is projected to employ about eight people and generate roughly $1.5 million annually in municipal tax revenue.
Conditions set limits
While the approval clears a major regulatory hurdle, it does not give the project a free pass.
Among the most significant conditions are strict limits on noise and visual effects. Turbine noise must not exceed 40 decibels at any nearby residence, and shadow flicker – the moving shadow cast by rotating blades – is capped at 30 minutes per day and 30 hours per year at any dwelling.
The developer must also undertake extensive environmental monitoring and mitigation, including wildlife and habitat protections. That includes pre-construction studies, post-construction monitoring of bird and bat mortality.
Separate approvals will still be required before any alteration of wetlands or watercourses, and detailed plans must be submitted covering erosion control, surface water management and blasting, including testing of nearby wells within an 800-metre radius.
The company must also establish a complaint resolution process and file annual compliance reports with the province.
Work on the project must begin within two years of the approval or require an extension.
Part of larger buildout
Upper Afton is one of four wind projects in EverWind’s first phase of development in Nova Scotia, all of which have now received environmental assessment approval. The portfolio includes Upper Afton across Antigonish and Guysborough counties, along with the Kmtnuk and Windy Ridge developments in Colchester County and the Bear Lake project spanning West Hants Regional Municipality, the Municipality of the District of Chester and Halifax Regional Municipality.
“These projects are meant to supply power to Nova Scotia customers when needed and support our own power consumption,” said Mark Stewart, director of engagement for EverWind.
But it is the company’s second phase – much larger in scale and concentrated in the Municipality of the District of Guysborough (MODG), with additional development extending into the Municipality of the District of St. Mary’s – that underscores the broader transformation underway.
That phase includes the already-approved Setapuktuk project in Guysborough County, with 54 turbines and a capacity of 432 megawatts, along with two additional proposals: Ocean Lake, also in Guysborough County, at up to 158 turbines and 1.26 gigawatts, and a third project spanning MODG and St. Mary’s, at up to 107 turbines and 856 megawatts.
Unlike Phase 1, which is grid-connected, those projects would be linked through a new high-voltage transmission system and are intended to supply renewable energy directly to EverWind’s hydrogen production and export operations.
Stewart said construction on Phase 1 projects is expected to begin in 2026 or 2027, with later developments following through the end of the decade.
Public concerns raised
Despite the approval of Upper Afton, concerns raised during the assessment process point to broader issues surrounding its scale and EverWind’s pace of development.
In a submission to the province, the Kwilmu’kw Maw-klusuaqn (KMK), which represents the Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi’kmaw Chiefs in the consultation process, said the environmental assessment “does little to address the cumulative impacts” of multiple wind projects tied to EverWind’s plans, calling for a broader, cross-project analysis.
It also stressed that “participation by one Mi’kmaq community does not equate consent and approval on behalf of all Mi’kmaq of Nova Scotia,” underscoring the Crown’s ongoing duty to consult.
The submission further warned that large-scale wind development can alter traditional land use and cultural landscapes, particularly in areas near protected lands such as the Tracadie River Wilderness Area.
A separate submission was also filed by the Maritime Aboriginal Aquatic Resources Secretariat and the Native Council of Nova Scotia.
Efforts to obtain comment from Protect Guysborough, a citizens group critical of several aspects of EverWind’s developments in the county, were unsuccessful before deadline, with a representative saying she was unable to respond due to the volume of inquiries.
However, in a letter to the editor published in The Journal this week, Seal Harbour resident Susan Overmyer described the project as “an industrial footprint embedded in a rare coastal wilderness and tourism zone,” arguing it reflects an “extractive economy” that could undermine long-term development.
“You cannot destroy an environment’s natural ecosystem and then claim you are improving it,” she wrote.
Public submissions during the environmental assessment process also raised concerns about wildlife impacts, water resources, noise and the cumulative effects of multiple projects across the region.
Company outlines local benefits
Stewart said the projects are part of a phased buildout tied to EverWind’s hydrogen operations at Point Tupper, with development expected to continue through the end of the decade.
In project materials, the company says it plans to maximize local economic benefits by using local contractors where possible and hosting job fairs, alongside establishing a community fund, supporting training and youth education through a bursary program, and including Indigenous participation through the Membertou Development Corporation.
Next steps
With environmental approval in place, the Upper Afton project now moves into the next phase of permitting and detailed design.
That includes securing additional regulatory approvals related to wetlands and watercourse alterations, as well as finalizing environmental protection plans required under the province’s conditions, including those covering wildlife monitoring, water management and site-specific mitigation measures.
In the news release announcing the Upper Afton EA approval, the province said it modernized its environmental assessment process in 2025 “to help speed up the province’s transition to clean energy, fight climate change faster, grow the economy and support sustainable development,” adding the changes created “a clearer, more streamlined path for clean energy projects” and made it easier for Nova Scotians to understand and participate in the process.
EverWind’s projects also align with the provincial government’s broader push into hydrogen development. According to its Green Hydrogen Action Plan, Nova Scotia aims to support “the emergence of a sector that… produces local benefits that increase Nova Scotians’ social and economic well-being” and positions the province to “produce green hydrogen and hydrogen derivatives for export and domestic use.”
