EverWind Fuels Pivots to $10 Billion AI Data Center as Questions Linger Over Nova Scotia Crown Land
EverWind Fuels has shifted its focus from green hydrogen production to a $10 billion data center campus in Nova Scotia leased to Anthropic. Meanwhile, the status of a 2022 agreement reserving 66,000 hectares of Crown land remains unclear, with no leases signed or payments made, and key European partners have withdrawn from the company's original hydrogen plans.
EverWind Fuels, a New York-rooted company operating in Nova Scotia, has announced plans for a $10 billion data center campus to be leased for 20 years to U.S. artificial intelligence company Anthropic. The project marks a significant departure from the company’s original focus on producing green hydrogen and ammonia.
In June 2024, EverWind claimed to have secured approximately 66,000 hectares—roughly 31 percent of the Municipality of the District of Guysborough—for three large wind projects: Setapuktuk, Ocean Lake, and Harbour Hills. Together, these projects involve 320 turbines and 2.3 gigawatts of total electricity generation capacity. The electricity was originally planned to cross the Canso Strait to power hydrogen and ammonia plants in Point Tupper rather than feeding into the provincial grid. Now, the wind projects are framed as supporting the data center, which will initially draw power from the grid and utilize an on-site diesel generating facility.
The land claims stem from a 2022 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between EverWind and the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) that reserved Crown lands for the company's exclusive use. However, the specific "subject lands" were redacted in public records obtained via freedom of information requests. As of late 2026, the DNR stated that no Crown land leases have been issued to EverWind and work on applications is still in progress, meaning no payments have been made for the reserved land. This creates uncertainty for other developers regarding access to Crown lands previously reserved under the MOU.
During a committee meeting, EverWind Chief Financial Officer Matthew Tinari acknowledged that the proposed wind farms and data centers would be the first such projects delivered by the company in Nova Scotia. Tinari also stated that the Nova Scotia financial structure differs from Newfoundland because fees are attached to development, though the DNR has not clarified what those fees are or when they apply.
The pivot away from hydrogen coincides with setbacks in Europe. In August 2026, German energy company E.ON issued a statement indicating it would not continue collaboration with EverWind due to deprioritizing international hydrogen imports. This contradicts EverWind's claim that regulatory timelines in Europe are the sole delay to its hydrogen ambitions. EverWind had previously planned to export 200,000 tonnes of green ammonia annually to Europe, with a second phase targeting 800,000 tonnes.
Despite the shift in priorities, EverWind has received substantial public backing, including a US$125 million subsidy from Export Development Canada and $22.5 million from Transport Canada. While Premier Tim Houston and Minister Tory Rushton praised the expedited process for obtaining Crown land leases in 2022, the lack of signed leases or paid fees by 2026 leaves the financial impact on the province unclear.