Bill Power
Business Reporter
March 27th, 2012
An $85-million wind farm proposed for the Pugwash area received clearance from the provincial Environment Department on Tuesday.
Environmental approval of the project basically gives a green light to North Cumberland Wind Farm LP to proceed with the construction in 2013 of 12 turbines capable of generating 32 megawatts of electricity.
“I have carefully reviewed the application and I am confident there are appropriate measures in place to protect the environment and public health,” Environment Minister Stirling Belliveau said in a news release.
Opposition to the project has been intense, even drawing criticism from entertainer Anne Murray, who has a summer home near the project, which is located about two kilometres from the Cumberland County village.
A local organization, the Gulf Shore Preservation Association, has led the opposition which has “certainly been substantial and consistent right from the beginning,” association chairwoman Lisa Betts said. “We are well organized and will not take this lying down.”
Betts said few people in Pugwash will be surprised that the province approved the project and most will be interested in the stipulations placed on the developer.
“We’ll be responding more fully to the announcement very soon,” she said.
Local supporters of the project, including some land owners whose properties will host turbines, have argued the project will help the province meet its green energy objectives.
The 33-megawatt wind farm will generate enough electricity to power about 10,000 homes.
However, it must still go through a competitive biding process under the province’s renewable electricity administrator.
“Wind farms are an important part of government’s renewable energy goals and will help us reduce our reliance on coal,” Belliveau said in the release.
The developer must monitor and mitigate potential impact on wildlife and must maintain limits on noise and proximity to homes in the area. There is also a requirement to create controls for erosion and sedimentation and to conduct a monitoring program for surface water.
A community liaison committee to address community concerns must also be established. In addition, there is a requirement for the developer to complete a Mi’kmaq ecological knowledge study.
The site must also be restored to its original state when it is decommissioned.
Nova Scotia’s 2010 Renewable Electricity Plan requires a reduction of electrical generation from coal to 40 per cent by 2020. The government said electricity from coal currently accounts for 57 per cent of the province’s energy mix.
http://thechronicleherald.ca/business/78065-plan-12-turbines-pugwash-area-gets-environmental-ok
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