AI-generated illustration; not a photograph of the reported event.
- calendar_today October 22, 2026
EverWind Fuels Opposes Crown Land Fee Claims
EverWind Fuels, the company planning a major data centre in Nova Scotia for artificial intelligence leader Anthropic, is at the centre of a dispute regarding land fees for a failed wind-powered hydrogen project in southern Newfoundland. The disagreement revolves around payments the Newfoundland and Labrador government claims are owed for Crown lands set aside on the province’s Burin Peninsula.
Background: Wind Hydrogen Project and Land Dispute
In 2023, Newfoundland and Labrador's then-Liberal government allocated nearly 2,700 square kilometres of Crown land for an EverWind wind-hydrogen project, charging the company more than $11.4 million annually—approximately 3.5 per cent of the land's appraised market value. However, EverWind Fuels states it neither agreed to the amount of land set aside nor to the terms of the land payments. The company maintains that it did not sign a reservation agreement or accept the province’s proposed fees.
Company Statement on Land Payment Disagreement
Matthew Tinari, EverWind’s chief financial and strategy officer, emphasized the company’s position in a statement on Tuesday. “EverWind never signed a Crown land reservation agreement, accepted the province's proposed reservation fees, or made any contractual commitment to pay the amounts now being claimed,” Tinari wrote. He further explained that much of the land included areas unsuitable for development, such as watersheds, residential spaces, and recreational zones, leading EverWind to request reductions in the reserved area on multiple occasions.
Discussions and Attempts to Resolve Land Issues
Correspondence between EverWind officials and the provincial government, obtained through access-to-information requests, reveals repeated attempts by the company to negotiate reductions in the land reserve and adjust its associated fees. While the government eventually agreed in April 2025 to reduce the reserved area to approximately 1,800 square kilometres, EverWind claims the province continued charging for more land than desired and under terms never agreed to. Tinari noted that EverWind made over $5.6 million in what it considers good-faith payments while working with the province to resolve ongoing issues.
Provincial Response and Broader Energy Development Context
The Newfoundland and Labrador government did not respond to EverWind’s latest claims. Earlier this year, after a change in government, Energy Minister Llyod Parrot revoked Crown land reservations from three wind-hydrogen project proponents, including EverWind and another company, for nonpayment of fees and stalled development.
In related developments, World Energy GH2, another wind-hydrogen developer in western Newfoundland, sought creditor protection after losing its Crown lands, highlighting the challenges in developing renewable energy projects under uncertain regulatory and financial conditions. Court filings show World Energy GH2 owed the province roughly $10.5 million in land fees.
Shift to Data Centre Development in Cape Breton
Despite the ongoing land reservation dispute, EverWind Fuels recently announced plans for a new $10-billion data centre in Point Tupper, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. The facility, developed for Anthropic—the company behind the Claude AI chatbot—has already secured a 20-year lease, with operations expected to commence late next year. EverWind CEO Trent Vichie declined to discuss the financial details of the lease during the announcement.
Commenting on the province’s decision to revoke EverWind’s Crown lands, Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Tony Wakeham expressed openness to data centre projects in the province but supported the withdrawal, citing ongoing opportunities in hydroelectricity and new energy development initiatives.
Source: cbc.ca.
