GOLDBORO — A new chapter could be taking shape for eastern Guysborough County, as more than 60 residents packed the Goldboro Interpretive Centre last week to scrutinize plans for a proposed large-scale renewable fuels park – an ambitious project its developers say could bring jobs, investment, and long-term opportunity to the region.
“First impressions, we were quite happy with the turnout,” said Andrew Parsons, project director for Nova Sustainable Fuels (NSF) following its first open house since taking over the project earlier this year from Irish renewables developer Simply Blue Group. “Actually, we had about 65 people show up right at the start. We think that this kind of turnout shows a fairly strong interest in the project.”
The event included updated design renderings, environmental study results and early details about planned marine infrastructure. According to NSF’s display materials, the project will produce sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and renewable methanol using onshore wind and solar electricity from the Caledonia area, as well as Nova Scotia-sourced biomass and water.
The company aims to file a provincial Class I Environmental Assessment (EA) this fall. Parsons said the open house helped highlight community concerns, which the company will take into consideration before filing.
“There were people interested in understanding how, if they use the shoreline and the water in that area for fishing, what the marine works would look like and what kind of implications that would have on how they traditionally use that area,” he said. “And people were curious and interested in understanding what the noise environment would be as well, both during construction and in operation. So, we’re going to take that back and provide some good response to that and to make sure that we minimize that type of impact.”
He said the event also offered a chance to share updated timelines.
“We’re now targeting a final investment decision in 2027 and construction in 2028, so we’ll be operational by 2031.”
Parsons emphasized the company’s desire to hear from residents.
“What we hoped they would leave with is a refreshed look and have updated information on everything. And we really want them to really feel that we want to hear from them.”
The project, introduced in 2024, was taken over by NSF – majority-owned by Octopus Energy Generation, a U.K.-based clean energy investment firm – in May. Parsons said that change brings critical resources.
“There’s significant investments in renewable energy. There’s significant experience in developing renewable energy projects, and just the financial strengths behind them. Although the timeline is a bit longer than we had hoped earlier, we are in a much stronger position to take it forward.”
Chad Bennett, a forest industry worker from Antigonish, was one of those in attendance. “It’s wonderful,” he said. “It looks like it’s really going to help the climate crisis, and the folks here were super informative... I learned a lot today.”
Bennett said he hopes the project moves forward. “I really want to see this take off and I’m pretty excited about it.”
He also pointed to biomass as a smart use of existing forestry waste.
“Right now, we go and harvest wood, and … we’re using about two-thirds of the tree, and the other third is just left in the woods to rot, which is releasing the same amount of carbon into the atmosphere as if it were burnt. So, why aren’t we using it for fuel, right?”
Parsons said the event also served the important purpose of gathering feedback from the community by providing feedback forms.
“We need to closely review those to get sort of a bit more of an understanding.”
The company said the EA process will focus on marine habitats, wetlands, noise and traditional land use. As part of the next phase, NSF expects to form a community liaison committee and begin discussions around community benefits with the Municipality of the District of Guysborough.
