Atlantic Canadian Wind Farm Projects

[David1gray]

Well, I can now stand in Westville and be able see to separate wind farms with approximately 30 turbines each. One is on Dalhousie Mountain, the other is the Glen Dhu Windfarm.

[David1gray]

$61M wind farm going up near Amherst

The construction of a new $61-million wind farm is underway near Amherst, N.S., after 12 years and two previous attempts to get the project off the ground.

The project is expected to employ up to 50 people over nine months and will feature 15 wind turbines with a capacity of 31.5 megawatts.

"It would generate enough energy to power about 10,000 homes or 90 gigawatt hours on an annual basis," said Jeff Jenner, the president of Sprott Power Corp.

"We have a 25-year contract with Nova Scotia Power."

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Continue Reading Here

[David1gray]

DSTN in Trenton supplying towers for project

AMHERST – A new $61-million wind farm proposed near Amherst could be producing the energy to power 10,000 homes as early as later this year.

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The two Toronto-based companies are leading the project. Suzlon Wind Energy Corporation is also involved and has hired DSTN of Trenton. Some of the first towers built at the former TrentonWorks facility will be used in the project here.

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“Our province is undertaking nothing short of a transformation in how it generates the electricity Nova Scotians rely on to power their homes, businesses and the economy,” the premier said. “Just a few short years ago the province was almost totally reliable on fossil fuels like coal and petroleum coke for its energy needs. Now, instead of being subject to the big price swings in world commodity markets, Nova Scotia is creating good jobs here and a solid basis for more.”

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[C_Boy]

Moncton studies wind farm
Published Tuesday September 20th, 2011
City looking at long-term potential of harnessing winds at Turtle Creek
A1BY BRENT MAZEROLLE
TIMES & TRANSCRIPT STAFF


The Kent Hills Wind Farm southeast of Moncton is the province's largest producer of electricity from wind, and one of the largest land owners in the countryside near the Kent Hills is the City of Moncton.

So why not look at putting wind turbines on some of the vast property the municipality owns to house and protect the Turtle Creek Reservoir and its watershed?

If winds similar to those found at Kent Hills could be harnessed near the reservoir, the city might meet some of its own energy needs, reduce its carbon footprint and maybe make a few bucks too.

It's something Ward 4 Councillor Paul Pellerin has been thinking about for a long time, and with the help of his fellow councillor and Moncton Environment Committee member Daniel Bourgeois, Pellerin brought the idea to last night's public meeting of city council.

"This is something we've been studying at the Environment Committee for the past year-and-a-half and I had asked Jack MacDonald (manager of Engineering and Environmental Services) and John Martin (the city's chief financial officer) to give me a quick business case of if it was feasible," Pellerin explained.

"Based on a very preliminary business case, I think it would be very profitable for the City of Moncton to move forward with this."

The discussions at this stage are almost too preliminary to even be called preliminary, but council did vote unanimously to authorize staff to research the idea further.

Initially, the motion called for staff to prepare a request for proposals aimed at getting various private wind energy companies to suggest ways they could partner with the city.

Ward 2 Councillor Nancy Hoar objected to that, however, noting the preparation of an RFP can cost significant money and staff time.

"Do we have enough information to start? I know there will be quite an expense for a request for proposals," she said.

"Are we even ready for the RFP and how much will an RFP cost in this situation?"

"No, we're not ready for an RFP and yes, there's a fair amount of work that would have to go into developing an RFP," Jack MacDonald replied.

"You have to have a really good understanding of what you're looking for. I think we're at our infancy in this discussion."

With that in mind, council unanimously supported her amendment.

Ward 1 Councillor Paulette Thériault, who seconded Hoar's amendment, was also enthusiastic about the potential but reminded her fellow councillors even wind energy has some impacts on the immediate environment. She suggested there would have to be an independent assessment of the impacts before the City of Moncton allowed a corporate partner to build turbines and the roads to link them near Metro Moncton's water supply.

The city manager said there are significant regulatory hurdles in place for such projects at any rate. He said the first step would be to engage the wind industry in more dialogue and perhaps prepare a draft of an RFP, but have an environmental impact assessment prior to ever issuing an RFP.

Having said all that, no one's sure there is even wind suitable for commercial harnessing on city land. While the Kent Hills are nearby, the turbines are generally at higher elevations, some of them significantly so.

However, Université de Moncton professor Yves Gagnon, who led the research team that mapped new Brunswick's winds a few years ago, is a citizen member of the City of Moncton environment committee councillors and Bourgeois sit on, so some information should be easily available to the city.

This is a long-term project to be sure. In fact, because an environmental engineer on the city staff is on leave until next spring, council's direction to staff to proceed further will have to wait for a number of months until her expertise is available.

Bourgeois sought support for a motion directing staff to find other expertise to do the preliminary work, but other councillors worried the new idea might take staff away from other long established priorities and the mayor noted hiring outside help would require money that hadn't been budgeted.

In the end, it's just a beginning.

But as Ward 3 Councillor Brian Hicks noted, it's one of those ideas whose real benefits, like Turtle Creek reservoir itself, will likely come in 25 or 30 years.

[MonctonRad]

An interesting idea, but the city should only proceed if there is a good business case for this project. I'm worried that the city might spread itself too thinly or become too defocussed by taking on too many projects. There is lots to be done in the downtown core (like the events centre), and I don't want the city to lose site of the importance of these goals.

Now, if a wind farm could be a profitable enterprise where the management and organization of the process is not too distracting, then my opinion would most definitely change...

[David1gray]

Shear Wind laying ground work for phase two of power production

By 2013, Ian Tillard hopes to see Trenton-built towers standing as part of phase two of the Glen Dhu Wind Facility.
The first phase of the 62.1 megawatt facility located on Browns Mountain was completed in March and now Shear Wind Inc. is laying the ground work to place a bid for a second phase of the project which will produce up to a maximum of 50 megawatts of electricity.
Draft requests for proposals are expected to come out from the province in October and bids are expected in February, said Tillard, Shear Wind chief operating officer.
His company held a meeting with residents in Kenzieville on Monday to discuss the project and potential impacts as a first step in the process of preparing to make their bid. Depending on the size of the wind turbines, the new project will include between 16 and 30 turbines and will be located south of the current project.
In Tillard’s opinion, there would be little if any impact on the residents. The area is sparsely populated and the first project had good results.
About 20 people showed up for an afternoon session Monday and more than 30 in the evening. Tillard said there was quite a difference holding the meetings now than when they held them for the first phase.
“I think people are getting more knowledgeable about this whole process and this whole industry,” he said.
Now that the DSTN plant in Trenton is operational, Tillard said it would be great if they were able to get the towers from there for this project. They typically buy their turbines as a complete package, however, so the suppliers they are working with will have to contact DSTN and get the towers there certified for use.
“Everyone we talk to we tell them, ‘We’d really like to buy turbines from this location, so you guys really need to get in there and get them certified.’”
Not only is it right to buy locally, but it’s also a smart business decision for them.
“It just makes sense. It cuts the risk down,” Tillard said. “When you’re shipping towers from Quebec or somewhere you’ve got a long way to go. If something happens and a piece gets damaged, you have to wait until another piece out of Quebec gets shipped down.”

http://www.ngnews.ca/News/Local/2011...r-production/1

[MonctonRad]

I drove by the windfarm under construction on the Tantramar Marshes by Amherst today. The towers are huge, at least 200 ft high!

This project will be spectacular in appearance from the TCH.

[mmmatt]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

I drove by the windfarm under construction on the Tantramar Marshes by Amherst today. The towers are huge, at least 200 ft high!

This project will be spectacular in appearance from the TCH.

Yeah I drove past last week, its gonna look really neat...and combined with the cbc radio towers in Sackville its making for a much more interesting drive to Halifax

[kph06]

Have there been any photos floating around of these under construction? I haven't made it up this way since the summer, so I'd love to see the progress.

[JHikka]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

I drove by the windfarm under construction on the Tantramar Marshes by Amherst today. The towers are huge, at least 200 ft high!

This project will be spectacular in appearance from the TCH.

Really looking forward to this on my next excursion to Nova Scotia.

[MonctonRad]

Only one of the towers is "topped off" and it is some distance from the highway. Also, the blades and turbine are not attached yet but I'm not kidding about the height of the tower. There are probably at least 16 towers under construction but the rest are only at the base on pedestal stage.

I was actually down near the Wood Point Road south of Sackville and happened to look across the marsh and kinda went "holy shit". The development looked massive even from a distance of 10 km so I had to drive over to see what was going on.

Several of the towers will only be a couple of hundred metres from the TCH so it should make for quite a dramatic panorama from the highway. Like mmmatt said, between this and the RCI towers in Sackville, it will make the border region look like a happening spot!

[MonctonRad]

I was back in the Sackville/Amherst area again today and snapped a few pictures. As usual with a project of this size, photography doesn't really do proper justice in really capturing the scope of the entire development. You really have to see it in real life.







There has been some progress since last week. They have attached the turbine and blades to the first tower and there is a large crane working on the second tower. They seem to be attaching the turbine to tower #2. Presuming that they will be working through the winter, things should look quite different in three months time.

[kph06]

Thanks for the photos! Things have definitely changed since I drove through last.

[David1gray]

Wind energy company plans second county turbine project

local wind power company is poised to launch its second project in western Pictou County.
Dalhousie Mountain Wind Farm Inc. shared a proposal to erect 30 towers near the Gully Lake wilderness protection area along the Colchester County line during an information session recently in Mount Thom.
The company has named the project Clydesdale Ridge Farm, the name of a road that accesses Gully Lake from Colchester County.
It has mapped out 41 locations to account for tower sites that might be eliminated for residential or environmental reasons, energy research consultant Lisa Fulton says.
“We have more locations for the 30 towers we want to put up in case we have to move some of the towers once we get the studies back,” she said.
RMSenergy’s first big project, the Dalhousie Mountain Wind Farm, became the third largest wind farm in the province when it opened in 2009. Its 34 turbines produce 51 megawatts, which translates into 175,000 gigawatt hours of renewable energy, enough to power 20,000 homes.
That’s enough to provide heat, light and hot water to all the homes in Pictou County, RMSenergy president Reuben Burge said.
The company has a 25-year agreement to provide electricity to the province’s power grid.
Because proximity to the grid is essential for wind farms, the project is designed to connect with a transformer where power lines cross Highway 104.
Work at Clydesdale Ridge will include installing a meteorological tower to monitor wind tendencies. Monitors, biologists, botanists and birders will be brought in to study the area.
“We’ll examine environmental sensitivities for people, wildlife and rare plants,” Fulton said.
Startech Consulting will conduct the environmental assessment in the area.

http://www.pictouadvocate.com/2012/0...rbine-project/

[David1gray]

Sprott looking to grow wind project?


AMHERST – As it passes the halfway mark of its $61-million Amherst wind project, Sprott Power is already looking at its options for expansion.

“We’re looking at possiblky expanding our project in Amherst, going to the east of the Trans-Canada Highway,” company chief operating officer Don Bartlett said Friday. “We’re just investigating it now, but it’s something we’re considering.”
Barlett said he is not at liberty to talk about what the expansion plans are, other than to say there will be a public presentation in the coming months detailing what what the company wants to do.
“As we move forward we’ll make some public announcements,” he said.
Before it moves across the highway it would have to go through the entire regulatory process including having an environmental assessment and public consultations completed.
It also needs to collect weather data, including the prevalence of wind on the east side of the marsh.
Any expansion would also hinge on the company being successful in the next round of requests for proposal from the province.
The Ontario-based company started work on the Amherst project last fall and completed the eighth of 15 turbines early Friday. The north side of the project, nearest Fort Lawrence, has been completed. Work is now focused on the south side, closest to the Trans-Canada Highway and the Wandlyn Inn hotel.
dcole@amherstdaily.com

http://www.cumberlandnewsnow.com/New...wind-project/1

[MonctonRad]

from CBC

Maritime wind farm nears completion
Expected to be producing power by the end of March
CBC News Posted: Jan 25, 2012 5:19 AM AT Last Updated: Jan 25, 2012 7:07 AM AT

A new wind farm between Sackville and Amherst is expected to be producing power by the end of March, with a possible expansion on the horizon.

And another, larger wind farm could be built in New Brunswick.

The current one, located right off the highway between New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, will generate 31.5 megawatts of green energy, said Don Bartlett, the chief operating officer of Sprott Power Corp., the Toronto-based company leading the project.

That's enough to power 10,000 homes in the Amherst area, he said.

"One of the misconceptions people have is when they see these wind farms they, for some reason people believe the power's being exported. And that's not the case," said Bartlett.

"All the wind farms in Nova Scotia are serving local load. The power stays right here. And for Amherst, most of this power will be consumed right here."

Sprott Power also plans to bid on another project with the Nova Scotia government, which would see the Amherst wind farm expanded, said Bartlett.

Boost for economies

As it stands, nine of the 15 windmills are already complete, with the tenth expected to be finished this week, and five more by March.

Building the 90-metre tall windmills has contributed to the local economies with 140 people employed at the site, said Bartlett.

"Most of the craft, it's all out of the union hall, local union hall so most of the people working here are in and around the Nova Scotia area," he said.

Installation of the windmills has been quick, but the $61-million project has taken 12 years and two failed attempts by other companies to reach this stage.

Sprott took over the project 10 months ago with Firelight Infrastructure Partners, also a Toronto-based company. They have a 25-year contract with Nova Scotia Power.

Suzlon Wind Energy Corporation is also involved with the project and the wind farm will use towers built at the Daewoo wind turbine plant in Trenton.

Nova Scotia Premier Darrell Dexter has said 25 per cent of the province's electricity will come from renewable sources by 2014. That target increases to 40 per cent by 2020.

Meanwhile, Acciona Wind Energy wants to build a wind farm with 43 turbines on the Tantramar Marsh in Aulac, N.B.

But the permitting process, which includes a migratory bird study, is reportedly slowing that project down.

personal note - Given the size of the proposed Acciona Wind Energy project near Aulac, I fully understand the necessity of a migratory bird study but do these turbines actually spin fast enough to be a danger to birds in flight? I guess we won't know the answer until after the study is done...

[Dmajackson]

Wind farm owner seeks N.S. approval to expand
January 26, 2012 - 8:28pm BY JOANN ALBERSTAT BUSINESS REPORTER

The owner of a Pictou County wind farm has asked the province for environmental approvals for a proposed expansion.

Shear Wind Inc. of Bedford registered the second phase of its Glen Dhu project with the provincial Environment Department on Thursday.

However, the province has not yet approved the expansion plan. The government will issue a request for proposals in March to acquire more renewable electricity from independent power producers.

“At the end of the day, we want to be prepared and ready,” Shear Wind chief executive officer Mike Magnus said in an interview.

Glen Dhu, the largest wind farm in Nova Scotia, has been in operation since March. The 62-megawatt first phase has been producing more power than expected.

Magnus said the company will submit two proposed expansion plans, totalling 80 megawatts, for provincial approval. Both are covered by the one environment assessment, he said.

Shear Wind will also be proposing a 50-megawatt wind project in the Canaan Mountains area in northern Nova Scotia.

However, developers can only be awarded one project under the competitive bidding process, which is being overseen by an independent renewable energy administrator.

Magnus said fieldwork at the Canaan Mountains site is still being completed and the environmental assessment will be filed later this year.

(jalberstat@herald.ca)

Read More Here - The Chronicle Herald.ca

[JasonL-Moncton]

The one just outside Amherst is kind of 'fugly'...did they have to put it right next to the main highway?

[Dmajackson]

Developer to seek OK for wind farm in Cobequid Hills
February 20, 2012 - 7:21pm BY JOANN ALBERSTAT BUSINESS REPORTER

The Canadian arm of an international renewable energy developer is proposing a wind farm in the Wentworth Valley.

Renewable Energy Systems Canada Inc. is seeking approval for a development of up to 80 megawatts in the Cobequid Hills. The project could cost about $200 million.

The Montreal-based company plans to submit a bid to the province’s renewable electricity administrator as part of a tender call expected in May

...

Read More Here; thechroicleherald.ca, February 21st, 2012

[David1gray]

Drove through Amherst 2 weeks ago, grabbed a few pictures of the Marsh Windfarm: