New wind power bylaw drafted

Wed, Jun 29 - 4:54 AM

ANNAPOLIS ROYAL — Annapolis County has drafted a new bylaw that will allow large-scale wind turbines on four areas of the North Mountain and an already designated location on South Mountain.

The proposed legislation follows a year of public meetings and an interim bylaw that restricted development until council had more time to study the issue.

The interim bylaw was never intended to stop wind farm development but it was designed to allow time for a bylaw to be developed that was right for the county, Warden Reg Ritchie said.

"It was important that residents had the opportunity to be included in any decisions made in this regard," he said in a news release. "The year spent researching wind farm development was essential in helping to explore the issues . . . and hone a draft bylaw that reflected what our residents said was important to them."

The new bylaw specifies four locations on the North Mountain, including the Delaps Cove-Victoria Beach and Hampton Hills area, along with an original designated area on the South Mountain.

"Locations for wind resource areas where large-scale wind turbines may be located were brought up repeatedly during the public meetings," said Ritchie. "The planning advisory committee listened to what was being said."

The committee also addressed other wind turbine issues including setback and separation distances from public roads, habitable buildings and property boundaries and the decommissioning of large wind turbines.

Public meetings on the proposed bylaw have been scheduled for the Bridgetown Lions Hall on July 5 and the Lower Granville Hall on July 7. Both begin at 7 p.m. It may also be viewed on the municipality’s website at www.annapoliscounty.ns.ca.

No date was given for when council expects to pass the bylaw.

http://thechronicleherald.ca/NovaScotia/1250959.html

Digby loosens rules for wind turbines

By BRIAN MEDEL Yarmouth Bureau
Wed, Jun 29 - 4:54 AM

DIGBY — If you live in Digby County, a wind farm could be coming to a vacant field near you.

The Municipality of the District of Digby passed a motion Monday to amend its land-use bylaw dealing with wind turbine developments.

In doing so, it paved the way for a third tier of mid-sized wind turbine developments. Mini wind farms may now sprout in fields or on vacant lots that meet the new regulations.

"The proposed amendments will introduce a new class of turbine — community scale wind turbine(s)," said municipal warden Linda Gregory at Monday’s public hearing.

After several written and oral submissions had been made, mostly urging caution, council passed the proposed amendment to their land-use bylaw allowing for community scale windmill projects.

The amendment now goes to the Department of Municipal Affairs for ministerial approval, Gregory said.

As part of the province’s efforts to promote power production from renewable resources, a community-based, feed-in program was established, a handout from the municipality said.

Participation in such programs is restricted to municipalities, First Nations, co-ops, community and non-profit groups.

The new community scale turbines will be slightly smaller than commercial types. The electricity they generate will be used by Nova Scotia Power in the region, the municipal briefing document said.

The turbines may be set up in clusters on an approved piece of land where electricity could be generated and sent off-site.

The municipality already allows property owners to erect small, personal use domestic windmills for on-site power. The community-based turbines will fall somewhere in the middle of personal- and industrial-use turbines.

"There seems to be an absence of consideration of the good neighbour policy which considers the rights of citizens who already have a property adjacent to a proposed wind turbine installation," Shirley Langpohl of Gilberts Cove told councillors.

"We believe these citizens need to have their right to undisturbed enjoyment of their property protected," she said.

She suggested that the written permission of all nearby landowners be required before a project starts. The bylaw amendment also allows turbines to be erected without an environmental assessment and that’s wrong, she said.

The amendment stipulates a minimum setback of twice the height of a turbine from any property boundary and a maximum noise level of 45 decibels at any property line. More than one wind turbine would be allowed on one lot.

That’s an open invitation for the creation of wind farms within communities, said Sandy Cove resident Ashraf Mahtab. He said that section of the amendment should be removed.

It wasn’t.

Warden Gregory voted against the motion. She said council should have looked at a specific or maximum number of wind turbines per property.

The amendment allows a non-profit or other qualified group to partner with a commercial wind company if the non-profit venture owns 51 per cent or more of the entity.

No non-profit group had asked Digby municipal council to consider community-scale wind farm regulations. But Scotian WindFields Inc., the developer of Digby Neck’s commercial wind park (now owned and operated by Nova Scotia Power) made a request in February.

The company sought the change because the municipality’s land-use bylaw stipulated that the energy produced by smaller type turbines be consumed on-site. But the province’s new strategy envisions smaller turbines selling power to the grid, said Dan Roscoe, Scotian WindField’s chief operating officer, on Tuesday.

"These are smaller-scale wind turbines and shouldn’t be confused with the size of turbines that are at the Digby Neck wind farm . . . the utility grade."

He said 45 decibels is comparable to ambient noise outside on a windy day.

Scotian WindFields is affiliated with community organizations throughout the province, he said, such as Bay WindField Inc. in southwestern Nova Scotia.

A qualified group could sell its electricity to Nova Scotia Power. The provincial utility review board has created a special rate that provides a reasonable rate of return for investors in these projects, Roscoe said.

http://thechronicleherald.ca/NovaScotia/1250886.html

Amherst wind farm taking shape

By SHERRI BORDEN COLLEY Staff Reporter
Thu, Jun 23 - 4:54 AM

A $61-million wind farm slated to be up and running in Amherst early next year will have about 50 employees.

"People are actually already on the site working," Jeff Jenner, president and CEO of Sprott Power Corp. of Toronto, said in an interview Wednesday after Premier Darrell Dexter helped break ground for the wind farm.

Sprott, which owns wind farms in Cape Breton, and Firelight Infrastructure Partners, also of Toronto, are leading the project. Suzlon Wind Energy Corp., an energy multinational, is also involved and has hired DSTN Trenton to manufacture the steel towers for the wind turbines.

"I think the reason we’re willing to invest the $61 million here is because your government has a great energy platform and it will attract investors, such as Sprott and others," Jenner said.

"Nova Scotia is at least the only provincial jurisdiction where its commitment to a renewable portfolio standard has what I would call teeth, in that it’s law and people must abide by it, and as a result, people are helping companies like us make it happen."

The project will feature 15 wind turbines with a capacity of 31.5 megawatts, enough energy to power 10,000 homes.

The Dexter government says the wind farm will not only boost the economy in the Amherst area but will help the province reach its renewable electricity targets. The province has set a goal of getting 25 per cent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2015 and 40 per cent by 2020.

Amherst Mayor Robert Small couldn’t be reached for comment Wednesday.

http://thechronicleherald.ca/Business/1249836.html