EverWind Fuels Disputes Newfoundland and Labrador Crown Land Fees Amid $10-Billion Nova Scotia Data Centre Plans
EverWind Fuels, which plans a $10-billion AI data centre in Nova Scotia for Anthropic, is locked in a dispute with the Newfoundland and Labrador government over unpaid Crown land fees tied to a stalled wind-hydrogen project. The province revoked EverWind's land reserves in February 2026, but the company denies owing any debt.
EverWind Fuels is embroiled in a financial dispute with the Newfoundland and Labrador government over outstanding Crown land fees linked to a stalled wind-hydrogen project on the Burin Peninsula, even as the company advances plans for a $10-billion artificial intelligence data centre in Point Tupper, Nova Scotia. Artificial intelligence company Anthropic has signed a 20-year lease for the EverWind facility.
The Newfoundland and Labrador government confirmed it is still attempting to collect outstanding fees from EverWind for Crown lands. In 2023, the former Liberal government set aside nearly 2,700 square kilometres of Crown land for EverWind and began charging more than $11.4 million annually. EverWind claimed that more than half of the reserved land was unsuitable for development because it included watersheds and residential properties. In April 2025, the provincial government agreed to shrink the land reserve area to roughly 1,800 square kilometres.
EverWind official Matthew Tinari stated that the company does not owe the province anything because it never signed a Crown land reservation agreement or accepted the proposed fees. EverWind noted that it made more than $5.6 million in good-faith payments while working with the province to resolve the land reservation issues. In October 2024, EverWind CEO Trent Vichie wrote to then-Premier Andrew Furey requesting an urgent meeting regarding the Crown land reservation discussions.
In February 2026, the new Progressive Conservative government took back Crown land from EverWind and two other companies due to unpaid fees and stalled developments. Weeks after losing its Crown lands, World Energy GH2 filed for creditor protection, owing approximately $10.5 million in land fees.
Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Tony Wakeham stated he had no regrets about withdrawing EverWind's Crown lands and affirmed that the province remains open to data centres.