EverWind Fuels Pivots to $10 Billion AI Data Centre as Crown Land and Hydrogen Questions Mount
EverWind Fuels has shifted its focus from green hydrogen production to a proposed $10 billion data centre campus in Nova Scotia for Anthropic, raising questions about the status of 66,000 hectares of Crown land reserved under a 2022 agreement and the viability of its original renewable energy plans.
EverWind Fuels, a company with roots in New York that has operated in Nova Scotia since 2022, has announced plans for a $10 billion data centre campus to be leased for 20 years to U.S. artificial intelligence company Anthropic. The announcement marks a significant pivot from the company’s original focus on green hydrogen and ammonia production.
Before shifting to the data centre plan, EverWind received US$125 million from Export Development Canada and $22.5 million from Transport Canada for its green hydrogen projects. The company had proposed three large wind projects—Setapuktuk, Ocean Lake, and Harbour Hills—designed to produce electricity solely for its hydrogen and ammonia plants via a private transmission line, rather than for the public grid. In June 2024, EverWind claimed to have secured 66,000 hectares, approximately 31 percent of the total area of the Municipality of the District of Guysborough, for these projects. The Setapuktuk project was planned for 54 turbines and 432 megawatts of capacity, Ocean Lake for 158 turbines and 1,264 megawatts, and Harbour Hills for 107 turbines and 856 megawatts, targeting a combined 2.5 gigawatts of electricity production.
A 2022 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between EverWind and the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) grants the company exclusive rights to specific Crown lands. However, the section identifying the "subject lands" was redacted in documents obtained via freedom of information requests. Despite EverWind referring to the lands as "secured" or "awarded" in submissions, the DNR confirmed that as of late September 2026, no Crown land leases have been issued to EverWind, and work related to applications is still in progress. No payments have been made to the province for the land. During a legislative committee meeting, EverWind Chief Financial Officer Matthew Tinari admitted that the proposed wind farms and data centres would be the first such projects delivered by the company in Nova Scotia.
The shift away from hydrogen has also coincided with setbacks involving European partners. E.ON issued a statement in August 2026 indicating it would not continue collaboration with EverWind on hydrogen imports. This contradicts EverWind's claim that delays were due to regulatory timelines, as E.ON stated it had deprioritized international hydrogen imports entirely.
Political connections surrounding the company have also drawn attention. EverWind CEO Trent Vichie donated to Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, and Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston stated he has dined multiple times at Vichie’s home in New York. While provincial leaders previously expressed trust in EverWind's ability to deliver what they called a generational opportunity for green energy, no wind turbines have been erected and no hydrogen plant has started after four years of operations. Meanwhile, EverWind continues to operate fossil fuel shipping facilities at Point Tupper.