“Inhumane and unethical”: environmental group says massive industrial wind power-hydrogen site will have unprecedented environmental impacts. Legal action is being considered.

A environmental group headquartered in Newfoundland-Labrador claims the approval by the provincial government of the WEGH2 industrial wind-hydrogen-ammonia project planned for the Port au Port Peninsula has not addressed the “shortcomings” of the project.

The Environmental Transparency Committee or ETC says the proposed project will be the first of its kind in North America, and should not proceed without careful attention to environmental risk.

Thousands of citizen comments were submitted with requests to put the project elsewhere, ETC says, but these were ignored.

The companies involved have no experience with the wind power-to hydrogen market, ETC says. “To allow WEGH2 to proceed with a mega project without legislated requirements is reckless,” ETC said in a news release dated April 15.

“The companies’ goal is to place as many turbines on the peninsula as physically possible in an effort to maximize investment and electricity generating capacity,” ETC states. “In doing so, both the Minister and the company are imposing inhumane and unethical conditions on the residents of the peninsula for the purpose of profit.”

Port au Port is a historic site in Newfoundland and a travel destination.

ETC asserts that the mega power project will affect the way of living for indigenous and non-indigenous people in the area. Environmental impacts will result from blasting, deforestation and creation of 200 km of access roads, ETC says.

ETC says it is presently examining “all options” including legal action.

For more information, the ETC can be reached at etcportauport@gmail-com

Read the news release here: