St. John’s-based Triple Point Resources Ltd. wants to develop clean energy and hydrogen storage in a Newfoundland and Labrador salt dome to support upcoming renewables projects in the province.

Triple Point is aiming to increase energy stability by taking excess power generated from wind turbines and storing it in long, thin caverns as much as a kilometre in depth through a technology called compressed air energy storage. Another possibility is stowing away thousands of tonnes of hydrogen gas in the hollows.

The plan is taking place at the Fischells Salt Dome, which the company describes as the largest proven salt dome on the east coast of North America. It is projected as 5.2 kilometres in length and 4.5 kilometres in width, with a depth from 1.8 to two kilometres.

The massive underground salt deposit, located on the west coast of Newfoundland island, could help overcome the intermittency of renewable energy and support the green hydrogen industry. Projects that combine wind farms and hydrogen production are flocking to Atlantic Canada because of its wind corridor, opening a strong opportunity.

“We can store compressed air to support the integration of renewables. That is something that is very important in Newfoundland and Atlantic Canada,” Julie Lemieux, CEO and director of Triple Point, told Sustainable Biz Canada in an interview.

Helping green goals in the region

Triple Point, a spinoff of Atlas Salt Inc., was formed so it could concentrate on the salt dome as an energy resource, Lemieux explained. She was brought on to maximize the value of the property, which was deemed to be in energy storage rather than as a salt mine.

The opportunity arose because of major clean energy developments taking shape in Atlantic Canada. Companies such as EverWind Fuels and SK ecoplant Co. have announced multibillion-dollar plans to use the gusty conditions of the region to power wind turbines, and create green fuels such as hydrogen using the clean electricity and water.

Triple Point can save excess energy from the projects, keeping it from going to waste. That energy will be used to maintain operations at the hydrogen facilities.

Germany has emerged as a major potential customer of the hydrogen, with then-Chancellor Olaf Scholz signing an agreement with the Canadian government in 2022 about an hour’s drive north of the salt dome at Stephenville.

Additionally, there is Newfoundland and Labrador’s goal of decarbonizing. The province has a net-zero target for 2050, which will require more renewable and non-emitting energy. As it is building up the capacity, energy storage is critical because wind and solar can be inconsistent, so projects like the Fischells Salt Dome can improve grid stability.

Advantages of the site are its close distance to the Trans-Canada Highway, ports and power infrastructure, which make transporting energy easy. “We have all the ingredients to really make it happen,” Lemieux said.

The idea Triple Point is proposing is not new; Vortex Energy Corp. has also set out to store hydrogen in the province's salt caverns.

Energy storage caverns

Triple Point would form the caverns in the salt dome by drilling a hole to a certain depth, then injecting water from the nearby sea. The seawater will dissolve the salt, which surfaces as brine. The years-long process forms stable, sealed cavities where energy can be securely sequestered.

Each cavern will be 80 metres wide and range in depth from 500 metres to one kilometre, Lemieux said. The company could develop between 20 to 30 of these cavities over the decades.

“That’s why we say it’s a true, multigenerational asset to be there for the future.”

Compressed air energy storage is planned to be the first project developed by Triple Point. Surplus wind energy will be used to compress air and stow it into 800,000-cubic-metre caverns. The pressurized air will be released on demand, powering a turbine that generates electricity.

“Being able to build a salt cavern inside a salt dome, this is the best condition for a compressed air project to be put in place,” Lemieux said.

One model found each cavern could store around 150 megawatts in compressed air, she explained, equivalent to 3.5 gigawatt-hours.

Another development could be storing hydrogen gas made from local facilities, with the producer reserving space in the dome to guarantee supply for its clients. Lemieux said each cavern could store 9,600 tonnes – the equivalent to 320 gigawatt-hours. The hydrogen would then be converted into ammonia for easier transportation.

“If you start accumulating hydrogen, you can store it for months at a time,” she said. “If the exports are really happening for Europe, we’ll be ready for our partners there.”

Development of Fischells Salt Dome

Triple Point expects to commercialize Fischells Salt Dome by storing green energy from local wind farms and selling it to provincial utility Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro or other industries around the site. Additionally, the salt from the brine could be used for industrial purposes.

The first compressed air cavern, along with the salt business, is anticipated to cost US$570 million, and take four to five years to be operational. Lemieux said the first project could operate from 2028 to 2030, though a feasibility study (which Triple Point is raising the funds for) must be finished for a clearer picture.

The initial cavern will be most expensive as the first compressed air project, she said, but costs will scale down once the infrastructure is established.

Triple Point has international groups willing to help develop the project, Lemieux said, as well as potential customers to reserve caverns.

The company has a smaller, secondary salt dome next to Fischells that could also host energy storage, which Triple Point expects to evaluate in the future.