The province is moving to the next stage of wind energy development, announcing which areas of Newfoundland can be bid on, leased and used to produce it.

It was only one year ago this week that the government released its renewable energy plan, followed a few months later by the lifting of the moratorium on wind projects.

A subsequent call for land nominations garnered 31 proponents for 73 projects.

Today, the province announced Crown land originally open for nomination has been whittled down from 3.8 million hectares to about 1.7 million hectares, with 12 proponents so far eliminated from the competitive land bid process.

Consultations were held that saw some areas including parks, sensitive ecosystems and mining lots excluded, and others added.

The first stage of bidding officially begins today and closes in March, during which they’ll be evaluated through an exhaustive vetting that includes a raft of guidelines that must be followed, including purpose, experience and financing.

Those that pass the first stage will move on to the second phase in April.

There are now 73 projects on the table, the vast majority geared toward producing green hydrogen, which must be for export versus domestic use.

Environmental assessment and approval is required for any projects designed to generate more than one megawatt of power.

Which companies are linked to which projects won’t be released until successful bidders are identified later next year.