Socioeconomic Impacts of Hydrogen Production in Nova Scotia

The objective of this study is to provide the Government of Nova Scotia with the information necessary to further understand the socioeconomic impacts of a large-scale, green hydrogen production facility in Nova Scotia. In order to assess these socioeconomic impacts a hypothetical (500 MW hydrogen production) facility was used for analysis. This study developed a project design and associated Capital Expenditures (CAPEX)  and Operational Expenditures (OPEX) estimates from which the economic impacts were assessed and quantified. Using the outputs of the economic model, a trades and skills assessment and social impact assessment were performed to provide a holistic picture of the potential socioeconomic impacts.  Any power generation requirements for this facility (e.g. onshore wind) were considered outside the scope of this study.

An order-of-magnitude (OoM) cost estimate for this study was prepared based on limited engineering design, and subsequently has a wide accuracy range. As such, this estimate is not classified in terms of Association for the Advancement of Cost Engineering (AACE) International recommended guidelines. This estimate has been prepared solely to estimate the socioeconomic impacts of a facility of this scale. It’s anticipated that project proponents will produce their own, project-specific socioeconomic studies that will benefit from front end engineering design (FEED) studies that they will commission. The project-specific CAPEX and OPEX from those studies will result in different estimates of socioeconomic impacts.