Clydesdale Ridge Wind plans to expand Dalhousie Mountain wind farm

June 4, 2012, 6:54pm

by Chris Lambie, Buusines Editor

Reuben Burge has plans to expand the Dalhousie Mountain wind farm by adding 28 turbines and generators on land located between Mount Thom, Pictou County, and Earltown, Colchester County.

Clydesdale Ridge Wind LP registered the 50-megawatt project for environmental assessment Monday, with plans to start construction in December and commission the facility within about a year.

“The environmental assessment process is very detailed,” Burge, who heads RMSenergy Ltd., said in a telephone interview from atop Dalhousie Mountain.

Planning work on the project has been going on for more than two years. Experts have examined everything from how it will affect the bat, bird and moose populations, to whether the site was home to early Scottish and English settlers. Historic Mi’kmaq use of the land was also part of the investigation.

“We certainly have spent a great deal of time making sure the quality is there,” said Burge, who declined to say how much all the studies have cost or put a price tag on the entire wind project.

The province is expected to call for bids for renewable electricity this month. Awards to provide green energy to Nova Scotia Power are slated for some time this summer.

“It’s a large financial commitment, I will say that, to make early on in the bidding stage,” Burge said of all the environmental planning work.

But he’s hoping taking that risk up front pays off. “It puts our project in a good position at the time bids are awarded.”

If it goes ahead, the project would provide a boost for the local economy.

“We’ll definitely have hundreds of employees during the construction period,” Burge said. “For approximately 18 months there will be over 100 people employed, in one form or another, whether it’s consultants or direct construction related or tower manufacturing.”

The turbine towers will be 80 metres tall.

“The Clydesdale Ridge Wind Farm Project will provide renewable power sufficient for 20,000 homes annually and have a positive effect on the environment through the displacement of burning fossil fuel,” according to documents prepared by Stantec Consulting Ltd.

“In light of both Canada’s and Nova Scotia’s commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and invest in renewable energy, the Clydesdale Ridge Wind Farm Project will be an important component of Nova Scotia’s energy mix.”

Toronto’s Firelight Infrastructure Partners LP, which invests in North American renewable energy projects, including wind, hydro and solar, is a partner in the Clydesdale Ridge project. Firelight also partnered with Sprott Power Corp. on its Amherst wind project.

Firelight “is the majority owner” of the Clydesdale project, Burge said.

Environment Minister Sterling Belliveau has until July 24 to decide if the project can be granted conditional environmental assessment approval.

“No significant adverse residual environmental effects of the Clydesdale Ridge Wind Farm Project are predicted,” according to the Stantec report.

The project is slated to expand on the 34-turbine, 51-megawatt Dalhousie Mountain project operated by a subsidiary of RMSenergy Ltd.

http://thechronicleherald.ca/business/103582-clydesdale-ridge-wind-plans-to-expand-dalhousie-mountain-wind-farm

Kings County says no to wind farm

May 15, 2012 - 8:58pm
by Gordon Delaney, Valley Bureau

Council takes first step toward ban on turbines

KENTVILLE — Large-scale wind farms will be unwelcome in any part of Kings County, at least in the immediate future.

Municipal council on Tuesday night gave first reading to a recommendation from its planning advisory committee to prohibit all major wind projects while it reviews issues around the controversial developments.

The move comes in response to strong public opposition to proposed large-scale wind farms in the Greenfield area on the South Mountain and a large swath of land from Arlington to the West Black Rock Road on the North Mountain.

Residents of both areas have lobbied council against the wind plans and presented petitions to the committee and council.

Second reading is expected in July, following a public meeting next month. The amendment must then be approved by the province.

“There are people here who have building lots and are afraid to build on them,” Coun. Mike Ennis said Tuesday night at a special council meeting to deal with the issue. “It’s their community and I think they’ve spoken loud and clear.”

Coun. Dick Killam, who represents part of the North Mountain area, said the debate over wind turbines has caused much stress for residents.

“They have health and safety concerns. ... We can’t just rush ahead and allow this to happen.”

The proposed North Mountain wind farm would cause problems for the military at 14 Wing Greenwood, which has expressed concerns over interruption of radar coverage, Killam said.

But councillors were at odds on a motion asking for a five-year moratorium on large-scale wind farms, referring the matter back to its planning advisory committee.

Coun. Wayne Atwater said a five-year moratorium is giving wind farm opponents “faint hope” because a new council could overturn the decision. Municipal elections will be held in October.

“The only protection we can give is for the next six months,” Atwater said.

Warden Diana Brothers said she supported the moratorium and it’s up to the public to hold future councils accountable.

“There are way too many concerns about wind turbines and too few answers,” said Coun. Basil Hall.

“I think we need to put out a very clear indication of where we intend to go in this county.”

Coun. Fred Whalen argued against the five-year moratorium, suggesting a new council could overturn it.

“And it sends out a message that we’re closed for business. I think we need to leave the door open a little bit,” Whalen said, noting that the province has renewable energy goals to fulfil.

Council will rescind its current wind turbine bylaw, which allows large-scale developments if they meet the county’s zoning and planning criteria. It was just approved by council last year after a series of public meetings.

But the public got more involved in the process after learning of Scotian Windfield’s proposed development on the South Mountain, and a proposed wind farm by Acciona, a multinational company based in Spain. The development would see 20 to 30 large wind turbines on the North Mountain.

http://thechronicleherald.ca/novascotia/96511-kings-county-says-no-to-wind-farms

~~~~~~~~~~~

If Kings County can do it why can't Cumberland County?

In energy game, ratepayers lose

May 13, 2012
Rachel Brighton

Along with making luxury payments to its top executive and seeking back-to-back rate hikes for two years, Nova Scotia Power Inc. is also nudging for higher returns for its shareholders.

The regulated return on equity for shareholders fluctuates around 9.2 per cent, and last year it reached 9.6 per cent.

But the allowable rate is “bare bones” and ought to be closer to 10 per cent, according to a detailed report that formed part of the rate application submitted to the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board this week.

Expert evidence commissioned for the report suggests the utility’s return on equity is low and should be “competitive with those of its peers.”

Some utilities in Canada and the United States set higher rates for return on equity and allow higher ratios of equity to debt. These combined factors place the utility at a disadvantage, according to the report.

It seems Nova Scotia Power may be warming up the room for a future application to bump up the allowed return on equity, when we all get over the current rate bump.

In the meantime, shareholder demands and credit concerns are driving factors behind the current application, which would push up rates by three per cent in 2013 and again in 2014.

Without these rate hikes, shareholders’ return on equity would nosedive from the nine-per cent range to below three per cent in 2013 and below six per cent in 2014.

As well, the utility’s ratio of cash flow to debt would be critically low. This could lead to downgrading of the utility’s creditworthiness and an increase in its borrowing costs, following a negatively revised outlook from Standard & Poor’s rating agency this year.

The rate application also pours cold water on the idea that the shift to renewable energy will ease pressure on power rates.

Using more green power promises to reduce spending on fossil fuel, which should reduce our power bills because wind, tidal and hydro are “free.”

But fuel savings will be offset by increased capital expenses that will see more money spent on interest and dividends to finance the infrastructure needed for renewable energy production.

All this means that power rates will be under pressure from the markets, along with our own government’s push for green power.

The demands of paper mills for major subsidies from other ratepayers will also drive up rates, as will the current weak demand for electricity.

Part of that reduced demand reflects the effectiveness of the conservation programs that we pay for with a surcharge on our power bills.

Yet it’s a win-lose scenario, because the more power we save, the more we pay as the utility raises rates to cover the lost consumption.

The only winners in this energy game are shareholders, power producers, and, for the short or the long term, the subsidized paper mills.

This leaves lowly ratepayers two choices: buy shares in Nova Scotia Power’s parent company or get off the grid and produce your own green energy.

Rachel Brighton is a freelance journalist and former magazine publisher. She writes on environmental technology for the new Herald Magazine and on small business for The Chronicle Herald.

http://thechronicleherald.ca/business/95838-in-energy-game-ratepayers-lose

GSPA prepares to fight wind farm using Minister's conditional approval

PUGWASH, NS, March 28, 2012 /CNW/ -

After receiving more than two hundred comments from concerned Pugwash residents, Minister Sterling Belliveau has placed over thirty conditions on the approval of the Pugwash Wind Farm environmental assessment (EA) that must be met before construction could be contemplated. In addition to meeting these conditions, the Pugwash wind farm project would also need to be successful in the upcoming request for proposal (RFP) process providing 300MW renewable energy to Nova Scotia Power.

"Frankly, we are not surprised at all that the environmental assessment was approved, they always are, but we are heartened by the fact that the Minister has set these conditions. This makes the project extraordinarily difficult for the proponent to successfully develop," said Lisa Betts, Chair of the Gulf Shore Preservation Association. "The clock begins ticking today on a two year deadline to complete more than thirty tasks set out by the Minister that the proponent has not met in five years of trying."

One condition, for example, requires the proponent to keep wind turbine locations more than 30 metres from wetlands and water courses, which could eliminate more than 40% of the proponent's existing locations. Other conditions requires the proponent to conduct additional fieldwork relating to birds and bats, while avoiding specific species of flora and fauna during site selection. The proponent will also be required to create a community advisory committee, soliciting involvement of members of the general public in that process.

"Hundreds of residents expressed serious concerns during the EA comment period. These are educated, well read individuals who did their research before making their comments. None of these people is prepared to just let this happen without continued and sustained opposition. There are still a number of regulatory hurdles for the proponent to complete if, and only if, they are even able to develop a viable project with all of Minister Belliveau's conditions," added Betts.

http://www.newswire.ca/en/story/945333/gspa-prepares-to-fight-wind-farm-using-minister-s-conditional-approval

Plan for 12 turbines in Pugwash area gets environmental OK

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

Catching up

Been a tad busy lately. A catch up and review of recent events should be here in the next few days.

UARB may hold full hearing on power deal

Joann Alberstat

March 22nd 2012

The Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board may change the way it handles a proposed provincial plan to get more renewable electricity from independent producers because of concerns raised by Nova Scotia Power.

The provincial regulator said Thursday it could hold a full hearing on a draft power purchase agreement, rather than make a decision based on written evidence.

“It is apparent to the board, given the comments that were received yesterday, including those of Nova Scotia Power, that an abbreviated paper process the board had put in place to review this matter may not be adequate,” Nancy McNeil, regulatory affairs officer, wrote in a letter to the electrical utility Thursday.

In a filing Wednesday, Nova Scotia Power said it would not adopt the proposed agreement unless the regulator orders it to do so. The company said it’s concerned the draft terms favour independent producers at the expense of ratepayers.

“In light of our concerns ..., N.S. Power is not prepared to execute the proposed standard form (power purchase agreement), unless directed to do so by the UARB,” says a letter signed by company lawyer Nicole Godbout.

If it’s directed to accept the proposed terms, Nova Scotia Power said it will ask the review board to confirm that procuring more renewable electricity is “prudent” and that the utility won’t be held responsible for any additional costs or problems the approved projects may encounter.

The regulator responded by saying it will decide the next steps after the province’s renewable electricity administrator makes its own filing, which is due April 4.

The administrator, Power Advisory LLC, submitted the proposed agreement to the review board last month and had expected a ruling by April 25. That would pave the way for developers to submit their bids by May.

Several wind projects are in the planning stages across the province but some developers have said they expect no more than three or four of them to be selected.

The provincially appointed administrator, a Massachusetts-based consultant, is expected to announce the winning bidders in mid-July.

The province wants to obtain an additional 300 gigawatt hours of renewable electricity from independent producers, starting Jan. 1, 2015. That is equal to about 100 megawatts of wind energy.

The last time the province issued a tender call for renewable electricity, which occurred in 2007, the power purchase agreement was developed by Nova Scotia Power.

The utility said the proposed terms this time around are “substantially changed” from those approved by the review board five years ago.

Nova Scotia Power outlined several parts of the agreement it said could result in extra costs to ratepayers and require them too shoulder additional risk if a project runs into difficulty.

Some wind farm developers also wrote the review board this week suggesting further changes to the draft agreement.

Montreal-based Renewable Energy Systems Canada Inc., which is planning a wind farm in the Wentworth area, told the regulator it participated in recent consultations by the administrator and is “generally satisfied” with the outcome.

“The proposed contract properly allocates the risks of the contemplated projects to the parties that can best manage them, providing for the best outcome to the customer,” writes Nicolas Muszynski, RES Canada’s senior development manager.

http://thechronicleherald.ca/business/76468-urb-may-hold-full-hearing-power-deal