Nuttby wind farm approved

$120-million, 22-turbine project to be financed by NSP customers’ power bills
By JUDY MYRDEN Business Reporter
Tue. Dec 1 - 4:46 AM

Nova Scotia Power has been given the green light to develop a $120-million wind farm in Colchester County.

The provincial Utility and Review Board approved the 22-turbine project on Nuttby Mountain in a decision released Monday.

"The board . . . is satisfied that the project is in the best interest of the ratepayers and should proceed," the board wrote in a 23-page decision.

Nova Scotia Power customers will pay for the project through power bills.

However, government regulators rejected the company’s request to be able to sell 51 per cent interest in the wind farm.

Nova Scotia Power had hoped to get advance approval for the sale, which would allow the wind-generated electricity to be counted toward the 2011 independent green energy target. (The utility has to buy five per cent of its electricity from independent energy sources by that date.)

The review board argued that it is up to the courts to decide on the interpretation of provincial legislation, and a ruling now would be "simply premature."

Nova Scotia Power originally selected the 45-megawatt wind project as part of its request for proposals in 2007 for renewable energy from independent power producers.

Financial troubles drove the developer — EarthFirst Canada Inc. of Calgary — into bankruptcy and Nova Scotia Power picked up the development rights in April.

The utility filed an application with the board in September, asking for a decision by today to get the project back on schedule and allow the wind farm to qualify for federal government incentives.

To qualify, the project must be under construction this year and be completed by March 31, 2011.

Nova Scotia Power filed a letter on Nov. 20 saying the federal government has agreed that the Nuttby Mountain project qualifies for $14 million in incentives.

The power company filed evidence that it could produce electricity cheaper than the wind farm’s original proponent could, and power customers would save $7.3 million over the 23-year lifespan of the project.

The wind farm project will include buying and erecting the turbines about 20 kilometres north of Truro and building a new substation and transmission lines.

Also on Monday, Nova Scotia Power’s parent company, Emera Inc. of Halifax, officially took a stake in another troubled wind farm in Digby.

Emera made an undisclosed offer to buy a 50 per cent interest in the project held by SkyPower Corp., a partner to Scotian WindFields. SkyPower Corp. entered into creditor protection when owner Lehman Brothers went bankrupt.

The deal was finalized Monday in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice and shows that a numbered company owned by Emera put in the offer for the assets.

Dan Roscoe, Scotian WindFields’ chief operating officer, said the project can now move forward.

"It’s certainly nice to have this stabilized and we are anxious to get going on the work," he said.

Emera spokeswoman Sasha Irving has stated it was easier for Emera to make the purchase than Nova Scotia Power, which would have had to seek regulatory approval.

Construction is expected to begin in January with electricity generated by next November. The 30-megawatt wind project has a power-purchase provision with Nova Scotia Power, signed in May 2008.

Thirty megawatts of electricity can power 10,000 homes.

The Digby wind park is key for the utility to meet government’s renewable energy target of producing 25 per cent of its electricity from green sources by 2015.

http://thechronicleherald.ca/Front/1155507.html

Emera makes turbine offer

Firm wants 50 per cent of wind park
By JUDY MYRDEN Business Reporter
Fri. Nov 20 - 4:46 AM

Nova Scotia Power’s parent company has made an offer to buy a stake in a proposed 20-turbine wind farm in Digby Neck.

Emera Inc. of Halifax has made an undisclosed offer to buy the 50 per cent interest held by Scotian Windfields’ partner SkyPower Corp., which entered into creditor protection when owner Lehman Brothers went bankrupt.

"This presents an opportunity for us as a company to possibly move a project forward and we think it’s a viable project and we would like to see that happen," Emera spokeswoman Sasha Irving said Thursday.

Documents filed with the Ontario Superior Court of Justice shows a numbered company owned by Emera put the offer in to buy the assets in November and the deal is expected to be finalized Nov. 30.

Earlier this year, Nova Scotia Power purchased the Nuttby Mountain wind farm project in Colchester County from EarthFirst Inc. of Calgary. The project had stalled due to the global credit crisis and NSP’s proposal to develop it is currently before government regulators for approval.

The utility, which is a regula-ted monopoly, is asking the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board to approve the $120-million wind project by Dec. 1.

Ms. Irving said it was easier for Emera to make the purchase than Nova Scotia Power, which would require regulatory approval.

"Emera has more flexibility to move quickly in this type of situation . . . (and) we made the decision that we thought it was best that Emera move forward with this one," she said.

Development costs on the Digby wind project were approximately $19.1 million at the time of SkyPower’s filing for creditor protection in August.

The company had also made purchase deposit payments of approximately US$16.2 million to General Electric for the 20 wind turbines.

The total commitment under the GE contract was approximately US$41.1 million, according to court documents.

Barry Zwicker, president and CEO of Scotian Windfields, said the project can now move forward and expects construction to begin in January and have the turbines generating electricity by November 2010.

"We’ve got a partner that is a solid company, and I don’t think there is any fear of Emera going into any creditor protection or bankruptcy process. From our perspective we’re looking forward to working with them and getting the project complete," said Mr. Zwicker Thursday.

The 30-megawatt development has a purchase power agreement, signed in May 2008, with Nova Scotia Power. Thirty megawatts of electricity can power 10,000 homes.

The Digby wind park is key for the utility to meet the government’s renewable energy target of generating 25 per cent of electricity from green sources by 2015.

http://thechronicleherald.ca/Business/1153686.html

Wind power health effects queried by municipal group

Last Updated: Wednesday, November 18, 2009 | 12:13 PM AT

CBC News

The Federation of Canadian Municipalities is asking Ottawa to fund more scientific research into the potential health effects of wind turbines.

The organization has asked the government to focus on two areas: low-frequency noise and electrical disturbances from industrial-scale wind developments. The issue was raised in September by three municipalities from Ontario at a national board of directors meeting.

"It's to ask the federal minister of health to look in to see if everything is OK for health and safety," federation president Basil Stewart told CBC News on Tuesday.

Stewart recently oversaw the approval of four wind turbines in his hometown of Summerside, P.E.I., which are expected to start producing power before the end of the month.

"I know we in Summerside followed all the provincial and federal regulations and guidelines," he said.

"FCM hasn't take a position on it because there are communities across the country for it and against it."

Stewart said there's been no word from Ottawa whether it will pay for new research into these areas.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/prince-edward-island/story/2009/11/18/pei-wind-health-municipalities-584.html

Emera division applies to buy Digby wind energy project

It looks as if Nova Scotia Power is buying further into the wind energy business.

It already owns the Nuttby project and has now applied to the Ontario Supreme Court of Justice to purchase the Digby project.

Court file number 09-8321-00CL is a motion that includes:

"approving the sale of SkyPower's to 3240384 Nova Scotia Limited, a subsidiar
of Emera Incorporated ("Emera") of SkyPower"s interest in the capital stock of Scotian Windfie1d Parners Corp. and certin of its wind project assets (the "Emera Transaction")"

it goes on ...

"THE GROUNDS FOR THE MOTION are as follows:
2. The Applicant is a renewable energy developer in Canada. It is an industr leader with
extensive expertise in developing large-scale wind, solar and other renewable energy
power projects;
3. Pursuant to the Initial CCAA Order, the Applicant was granted protection pursuant to the
Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act (the "CCAA") and an initial stay of proceedings
to and including September 1 1, 2009, in respect of the Applicant and certain other
parties, is currently in effect. The stay of proceedings has been extended from time to
time to November 30, 2009;
4. On August 21, 2009, the Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware granted
SkyPower an Order for provisional relief
under Chapter 15 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code.
A final Order under Chapter 15 was granted on September 15,20095. Pursuant to an Order of this Honourable Court dated August 25,2009, the Applicant was
authorized to ru a sale process in respect of all of its assets, property and undertakng;
6. The sale process is ongoing. On October 27, 2009, this Honourable Court approved a
sale in respect of SkyPower's solar business to an affiliate of CIM Group, SkyPower's
debtor-in-possession lender. The parties are working to close the transaction;
7. As par of the sale process, SkyPower has negotiated the terms of two additional
transactions - the Emera Transaction and the Elemental Transaction;
8. KPMG Inc., as monitor of SkyPower (the "Monitor"), and SkyPower's senior secured
lenders support the Emera Transaction and the Elemental Transaction;
9. The Applicant believes the transactions to be in the best interests of the Applicant and its
stakeholders;
10. the provisions of the CCAA;
11. Rules 2.03,3.02, 16 and 37 of the Rules of Civil Procedure (Ontario); and
12. such further and other grounds as counsel may advise and this Honourable Court may
permit."

Strange the media hasn't touched this story yet.

Residents to meet with minister over wind farm

Group in Digby Neck worried about health effects of living close to turbines

By BRIAN MEDEL Yarmouth Bureau

Six Digby Neck residents will visit Environment Minister Sterling Belliveau Wednesday in Halifax to ask a few questions about a planned wind turbine park.

"We’re trying to find out his reasoning for approving this turbine site in the first place," Evelyn Hayden said Monday.

"We’re just a group of concerned citizens that are trying to protect the health of everybody down here."

A 30-megawatt development consisting of 20 turbines is planned for Digby Neck by Skypower Corp. of Toronto and Scotian Windfields of Dartmouth. Each unit will generate 1.5 megawatts of electricity.

Ms. Hayden said one of the turbines may be as close as 600 metres to her home. She said she’s worried about adverse health effects to people who live too close to big wind turbines, and she is not alone.

Basil Stewart, the mayor of Summerside, P.E.I., has asked federal Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq to look into the matter.

As president of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, Mr. Stewart cited a resolution asking Ottawa to study the potential health risks of wind turbines.

Digby municipal council was expected to discuss that resolution Monday evening.

A wind bylaw for the Municipality of Digby has been in the works since last year and is the only planning document in the municipality.

But municipal councillors decided last June to delay the passing of the plan to regulate wind turbines.

Some senior executives of the proponents spoke at a public planning hearing in council chambers, urging councillors to kill a draft version of the bylaw.

Corey Basel, vice-president of Skypower Corp., said his company did not support passing the bylaw in its present form, which he said was ambiguous.

"Any ambiguity in a bylaw could certainly affect future development. . . . It can signal to outside investors, banks or developers that there is not an opportunity for investment or development in a community," said Mr. Basel at the time.

In the end, councillors voted to table the draft planning strategy and bylaw until they could discuss it further. The bylaw was to be addressed again during Monday evening’s meeting.

Ms. Hayden had earlier asked Justice Minister Ross Landry to issue a stop order because of alleged health risks.

A source from the Justice Department wrote back to tell her the minister could not interfere with the decision to allow the wind turbines.

"We’re not going to give up," said Ms. Hayden.

Her group will also meet Wednesday with Liberal environment and energy critic Andrew Younger.

Among the questions the group has is why the province has not established some kind of guideline or minimum setback for municipalities that don’t have rural zoning restrictions pertaining to wind turbines.

http://thechronicleherald.ca/NovaScotia/1153135.html

Glen Dhu project gets funding

Spanish company shows interest in Shear Wind
Last updated at 11:01 PM on 16/10/09
The News, New Glasgow

Merigomish – The company that wants to construct a windfarm in the Merigomish area may receive a financial boost that will allow them to proceed with the project.

It was announced this week that renewable energy businessman Manuel Jove, president of Spanish company Inveravante, has signed a proposal with Halifax-based Shear Wind Inc. to buy 62 per cent of the company for $27 million.

The deal still requires approval from a majority of Shear Wind shareholders and must pass other regulatory hurdles before it closes on Oct. 30.

Ian Tillard, Chief Operating Officer for Shear Wind, says the company was hit hard by the recession last year and has since been shopping around for investors.

“It’s been a pretty bleak world for people in the wind business since the economic turmoil hit a year ago,” Tillard said. “We’ve spent our time on the Merigomish project doing pre-construction, environmental studies, the on the ground stuff, all the while looking for investors for our projects.”

Inveravante is “by far the best fit” for Shear Wind, Tillard said. This marks the Spanish company’s first investment in North America, an area it has been looking to expand into.
“This is a company that brings good experience with them and really brings a different outlook, both financially and in terms of technology,” said Tillard.

The Spanish utility conglomerate will pay nearly 28 cents a share for almost 96,500,000 shares of Shear Wind stock that will be issued to the Inveravante subsidiary Genera Avante Holdings Canada Inc.

Subject to regulatory approval, Shear Wind will pay a finder’s fee of $1.75 million to STS Capital Partners.

Tillard says a decision on where the capital investment will be used will be made in the near future. Founded in 2005, Shear Wind has projects in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Alberta and will assess all of its developments before deciding where to put the infusion of funds.

But Tillard says the company remains committed to hitting the targets of its deal for the proposed $150 million wind turbine park near Merigomish. Shear Wind signed a deal with Nova Scotia Power last year to sell 60 megawatts of electricity to the utility – enough to power 17,500 homes – beginning late this year. That has since been delayed to 2011.

The project must be in place by March 2011 in order to take advantage of federal incentives for wind energy.

http://www.ngnews.ca/index.cfm?sid=295335&sc=49

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Questions still unanswered on wind farm project

To the editor,

Shear Wind Inc. has finally made a public announcement about the true size of their Glen Dhu wind power plant. Phase 1 and 2 combined would see as many as 100 turbines spread over 10,000 acres. However, the cumulative impacts of both phases were never considered by the Department of Environment despite the fact that government reviewers pointed out this requirement.

Shear Wind’s own Vascular Plant Study revealed that five wind turbines in phase 1 were located entirely within old growth forest of heritage value and should be relocated, yet the Department of Environment never required it.

Shear Wind’s Avian Study pointed out that bald eagles are “of particular concern” and that “serious consideration should be given to setting back wind turbines from steeply inclined ridges where updrafts are most conducive for soaring….” Instead, Shear Wind moved the turbines from the highlands to the scarp face and with the Department of Environment’s approval of this project they have essentially granted Shear Wind a permit to violate both provincial and federal law, allowing them to kill and injure bald eagles.

Shear Wind’s bat study was conducted eight kilometres south of the project site with Anabat II detectors deployed at ground level. Two detectors were deployed for one week, with one detector vandalized the day it was deployed. No real mortality predictions could be made for this project from this study, yet the Department of Environment never required a new bat study.

Lord David Howell, former Secretary of State for Energy in Margaret Thatcher’s government, stated, “Extensive wind farm developments will be seen in due course to have taken public opinion for a colossal ride.” It would appear that the Department of Environment, in turning a blind eye to their own responsibilities under the Nova Scotia Environment Act and the Species at Risk Act, are taking Nova Scotian’s on that colossal ride.

Susan Overmyer, Media Relations
Eco Awareness Society
Bailey’s Brook

http://www.ngnews.ca/index.cfm?sid=302902&sc=51

HRM holds first of nine meetings asking for input on location of turbines

Wind opinions sought

By JUDY MYRDEN Business Reporter
Thu. Nov 12 - 4:46 AM

IT’S THE latest in the NIMBY syndrome.

The Halifax Regional Municipality wants to get the public’s feedback on how far wind turbines must be located from homes, roadways and property lines.

The first of nine public meetings was held Monday night at Brookside Junior High School in Prospect.

About 15 vocal residents turned out to give their opinion on the proposed regulations for locating large- and small-scale wind turbines around the area.

Shayne Vipond, HRM senior planner, said the opinions were varied, with most people wanting the benefits of green energy but not in their backyard.

Most people want a conservative approach to setting guidelines for allowing turbines near a residence but fully endorsed the use of green power, he said.

He said this is "pretty typical" of the response by communities.

"What we’re going to be doing is talking about the direction that we’re looking at now for the actual siting regulations. These are regulations that are open for debate. That’s the purpose of bringing it forward to the community," said Mr. Vipond.

The proposed bylaws, which will go before municipal council next spring, have been several years in the making.

Council initiated a planning process for wind power almost three years ago and held public consultations in 2007.

"The difference between this community consultation effort and the one we did in 2007, we’re actually coming forward with specific direction. Last time, we were looking to get general impressions from the public. At that time, the public certainly weren’t as informed and it wasn’t as front and centre as it is now and it’s gaining momentum," said Mr. Vipond.

He said erecting wind turbines in HRM is being driven by the need to reduce fossil fuel consumption, which accounts for almost 80 per cent of power generation in Nova Scotia.

HRM is proposing bylaws for large-scale turbines with a minimum distance of 500 metres from the base of the turbine to the nearest building. Small-scale turbines must be set back 180 metres from a residence, hospital, hotel, motel or convention centre.

Another classification for a small-scale turbine located in a business park or commercial campus has a setback distance of 30 metres.

Regional council has approved test sites for wind turbines near the Otter Lake garbage dump, in Upper Sackville near the old landfill site, at watersheds near Lake Major and Tomahawk and Pockwock lakes, and in an area near St. Margarets Bay.

"We hope to present to the public and get some feedback," he said.

There has been some opposition to large-scale wind projects in areas like Yarmouth County, where residents living near wind farms have complained about noise. To address that and other concerns, the province partnered with the Union of Nova Scotia Municipalities to do a $45,000 study to develop wind turbine bylaws and policies last year.

Mr. Vipond said staff used "best practices" guidelines as recommended by this study but did not include sound level guidelines.

"We’re not looking to regulate noise. We feel that by providing adequate distance separation, noise is dealt with by default," he said.

"There is another layer of regulation through the provincial environmental assessment that deals with sound. What we’re trying not to do is duplicate the environmental assessment process because we feel that is an undue burden to potential wind energy developers at the small and large scales."

Debbie Neilson, sustainability co-ordinator at the UNSM, said the public consultation process HRM is currently undertaking allows a community to be involved and also provides clarity for wind turbine developers.

One of the biggest challenges facing developers is getting the public onside, said Ms. Neilson.

The public meetings will be held across HRM in November, December and January, and the locations can be found on the HRM website, halifax.ca.

http://thechronicleherald.ca/Business/1152241.html

Ontario: Property owners could be left carrying the can

Property owners signing leases with wind energy developers should be looking closely at the legalese within these leases.

Saturday:

Communications, including the comment submitted below, indicate that the author may have misrepresented some facts. The liens are against the leaseholds arrangements with the property owners not the property freeholds.

However, a story from allnovascotia.com published yesterday states that a SkyPower creditor, The Terrain Group, filed a statement of claim that could result in similar liens. This relates to the SkyPower and Windfields project in Gullivers Cove, Digby County. The companies hope that a pending third party buyer will alleviate their financial woes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Land locked

Wellington Times

Prince Edward County, Ontario

Rick Conroy

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Related: Stantec Construction Property Liens list

About 150 properties that make up the Byran wind energy project, part of the failed Skypower Corporation in the northeast corner of Prince Edward County, have had construction liens placed upon their land and registered on title by a creditor to whom Skypower owes a quarter million dollars. Construction liens are legal claims on a project to ensure a builder, tradesperson or consultant gets paid for his or her work.

Worse for the property owners, these construction liens have been perfected through a special court order that was granted last Thursday.

At best this means the property owners will be limited, until the liens are discharged, as to what they can do with their encumbered property. It may be difficult or impossible to refinance mortgages, borrow money using the land as collateral, finance new buildings on the property or even purchase seed and fertilizer for the property as long as the liens remain in place.

At worst the landowners could be on the hook to pay Skypower’s creditor, Jacques Whitford Stantec, the $265,000 it says it is owed by Skypower.

The liens offer a cautionary lesson to those who choose to enter land agreements with developers. But, perhaps the most surprising information to come to light in court docuemnts obtained by the Times is that one of the landowner that appears to be caught up in the bankruptcy of Skypower is the County of Prince Edward. Three properties registered to the municipality are included in the list of properties covered by the construction liens.

The apparent participation of the County in Skypower’s project raises many serious questions: What deal was made between the municipality and Skypower? Why wasn’t this arrangement made public? Who knew about this? When did they know it? What were the financial terms? Are there other deals with other wind energy developers?

And if the municipality is a stakeholder in the Byran project, even in a marginal way, how can it be objective as to the appropriateness of industrial wind energy development in this County? Most County residents believed their municipality to be acting in good faith when it a held a public meeting into wind energy development at the end of September.

Councillor Peter Mertens said he has no knowledge that any municipal property had been optioned, leased or sold to Skypower or to any wind developer. Mayor Leo Finnegan was unavailable for comment. Chief Administrative Officer Dick Shannon did not respond to the Times inquiries by deadline.

THE PROMISE Skypower first came to local prominence in the summer of 2007. They had been busy for months earlier acquiring options and leases on land primarily north of Picton up to Big Island, as well as around Milford. Until then, much of the wind energy interest had been focused in South Marysburgh. But Skypower’s strategy was to attempt to lock up the electricity transmission capacity by locating close to the largest transmission station in the County. Skypower had high-powered partners including an investment arm of Lehman Brothers, a large U.S. investment bank. When Lehman’s collapsed last fall, Skypower had not only lost a critical financial backer. The subsequent freeze on credit worldwide left the Toronto wind energy prospector in the same boat as its competitors—no capital, no credit but burning cash at a rapid rate.

THE FAILURE Pretending otherwise, Skypower continued to contract services from Jacques Whitford, an engineering consultancy that would soon merge with Edmonton-based Stantec, to advance the status of the Byran project in Prince Edward County. It had hoped to get the project to such a state of preparedness that it could either be sold or possibly financed.

So it was that on Aug. 11, Skypower public relations representatives were in Picton pitching their project to the local community. They gave no hint as to the company’s troubles. Meanwhile, back in Toronto, Skypower management was busy preparing documents to file for creditor protection. The next morning a court granted them an initial order putting creditors on hold until the business could be refinanced or sold.

}THE FALLOUT

Since then a sales process has been underway, dismantling the company into bits and pieces. Skypower’s half-share of the Stone Mills solar array north of Napanee has been sold to a real estate developer, CIM Group, based in Los Angeles.

Twenty-two bids were received for various parts of Skypower’s development business including its leases and options that comprise the Byran project. But none of the bids received are for all of Skypower’s development projects.

So in September Jacques Whitford Stantec registered construction liens against Skypower’s interest in 150 properties in Prince Edward County to ensure it will get paid.

Last week those liens were perfected to establish its priority claim. This is required to validate and extend the claim. Aperfected lien is valid against bona fide purchasers of property, and even against a trustee in bankruptcy.

In effect, these manoeuvres make the purchase price for Skypower’s Byran project higher than it might fetch otherwise. This raises the prospect that Jacques Whitford Stantec may end up as owners of the County wind energy prospect.

Most troubling for landowners is that they may not know their land is encumbered with a lien until they try to sell part or all of it, or erect a new building or use it for collateral on a loan. Even renewing a mortgage may be made more complicated by the presence of the lien. At least one landowner with an agreement with Skypower was unaware of the lien on his property until contacted by the Times last week. Planning Commissioner Gerry Murphy was also unaware of the liens placed on County properties.

If you suspect your land may be encumbered by a Jacques Whitford Stantec lien you can check your property title at the Land Registry Office, 1 Pitt Street, Picton. Online you may visit the Wellington Times website www.wellingtontimes.ca for a link to the list of Stantec Construction Lien Properties.

http://wellingtontimes.ca/?p=502

Wind farm plan criticized

Critics say ratepayers will be on hook for cost overruns at Colchester County site

By JUDY MYRDEN Business Reporter
Thu. Nov 5 - 4:46 AM

Government regulators should reject Nova Scotia Power’s proposal to construct a $120-million wind farm in Colchester County, according to evidence filed with the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board.

Electricity customers could face higher power bills if the project runs into cost overruns or the 22 wind turbines at Nuttby Mountain don’t produce enough power, warns Nova Scotia’s consumer advocate on electricity in a brief filed Tuesday with the board.

"The risk of the investment is on the shoulders of the ratepayers," John Merrick states. "If it turns out that the Nuttby project is inefficient or expensive to maintain, it is the ratepayers who will pay through rates.

"The board cannot depend on NSPI to make decisions beneficial to ratepayers in this matter," he says in the brief.

In September, NSP asked its regulator to approve by Dec. 1 the utility’s application to construct and develop the Nuttby Mountain wind farm.

Located about 20 kilometres north of Truro, the project would include purchasing and erecting the turbines and constructing a new substation and transmission lines.

Before the board makes a decision on the wind farm application, it requested written questions, comments and evidence from interested parties. The deadline for evidence was Tuesday.

Mr. Merrick said before the board makes a decision it must be satisfied this is a "prudent" investment for NSP’s residential customers.

"It is not the role of the board to micromanage or second-guess management of NSP, but ratepayers need to have assurance that they are required to pay for those expenses and investments that do meet a prudence standard."

A group of Nova Scotia businesses say there are "too many unknowns" at this stage for the board to give the green light to this project.

"NSPI is seeking the board’s sanction for it to speculate presumably on behalf of and at the risk of its customers by investing in wind generation," wrote the group’s lawyer, Nancy Rubin.

Ms. Rubin says the Avon Group is concerned about the financial risks to customers if Nuttby Mountain does not produce as much electricity as proposed.

A renewable energy company is recommending the board reject NSP’s application.

Cape Breton Explorations Ltd. president Luciano Lisi argues if NSP is certain about its forecasts, then it should ask its shareholders to take the risk of developing the wind project.

"The numbers NSPI uses in their estimates are simply not acceptable as they are unreliably optimistic, and shift all risks onto the ratepayers. If NSPI is certain of their numbers, then they can have the project built by their mother company Emera Inc. at complete risk to their shareholders," wrote Mr. Lisi.

Mr. Lisi is also president of Strait Bio-Gen, which tried unsuccessfully to convince government regulators three months ago to approve a request by NSP to buy $60-million worth of biomass generated electricity from a partnership between NewPage Port Hawkesbury and Strait Bio-Gen.

NSP says it needs to go ahead with the wind project to meet tough new environmental regulations to reduce pollution. Last April, NSP bought the Nuttby Mountain wind farm from its struggling developer, EarthFirst Canada Inc., in an attempt to move the project forward.

And the Nova Scotia government is urging the board to grant NSP’s request for the wind project. Energy Department lawyer Stephen McGrath wrote in a brief that "all feasible projects should be permitted to proceed as quickly as possible."

http://thechronicleherald.ca/Business/1151261.html

Pictou County wind farm powers up this month

By JUDY MYRDEN Business Reporter
Tue. Nov 3 - 4:45 AM

A 34-turbine wind farm in Pictou County will begin selling electricity this month to Nova Scotia Power.

After months of hard work and major setbacks, RMSenergy of Westville has installed the wind turbines in the Cobequid Range, just 25 kilometres west of New Glasgow, and is busy commissioning and wiring the huge turbines for energy production.

For RMSenergy president Reuben Burge it will be an important milestone when the turbines start creating electricity.

"We’re still hopeful for the end of November. Still a good push to get it done yet, but it’s coming close," said Mr. Burge on Monday.

Last year, RMSenergy was one of six groups that signed long-term power agreements with NSP, all scheduled to come on stream in late 2009.

However, RMSenergy is the largest and the only one on schedule, while the five other wind developers have had their projects delayed by the global credit crisis.

"It’s very difficult, a big job and involves a lot of help from people in the industry. It’s a $100-million project and there’s a reason why, because there is a lot of work to it," said Mr. Burge.

These wind developments are critical to moving Nova Scotia beyond its heavy reliance on dirty, coal-fired electrical generation.

The 51 megawatts of power generated from the turbines will provide enough energy to power 18,000 homes annually, Mr. Burge said.

All 34 turbines are standing and work crews are completing the wiring and commissioning.

"Each machine gets tested for a day to make sure it is functioning normally and putting out the right power for the wind speed," said Mr. Burge.

Developing and constructing this large wind farm has employed over 100 people for the past six months and has had some problems, he said.

"We’ve had some major setbacks but we’re getting over them."

He said there were complications in delivering the towers and delays in trucking and permitting.

Currently, the project is experiencing delays with installing its $1-million transformer that weighs 68 tonnes and is five metres high, he said.

"It took a year to manufacturer; it’s just a big, huge piece of equipment that’s awkward to move," he said. "It’s a challenge just to locate onto the site."

It is the last major step to connecting the wind turbines to the power grid. Last year, NSP contracted for 247 megawatts of power, enough power for 87,000 homes. When added to its existing wind farm system, this would account for 10 per cent of the province’s electricity by 2013.

NSP executives have admitted they contracted nearly twice the wind power they needed to meet tough new environmental regulations. In April, NSP took over a proposed wind project in Colchester County in the hopes of bringing another 22 wind turbines on stream by 2011.

http://thechronicleherald.ca/Business/1150859.html

Quebec expected to pay $5b for control of NB Power

Dexter, Williams concerned about what deal will mean for Atlantic region By KEVIN BISSETT The Canadian Press Thu. Oct 29 - 4:46 AM FREDERICTON — Quebec could buy a majority stake of the assets of New Brunswick’s power utility in a tentative deal worth almost $10 billion to be announced by premiers Jean Charest and Shawn Graham, The Canadian Press has learned. A Quebec government source confirmed that after months of talks and public speculation, a deal on the sale will finally be announced at a news conference today in Fredericton. However, a source in the New Brunswick government said that a memorandum of understanding, and not a final deal, will be announced. The source said the MOU, if agreed to, would see Hydro-Quebec shell out just under $5 billion in cash — an amount equal to NB Power’s debt — while a lower rate structure for electricity would see savings for New Brunswickers of approximately $5 billion. The memorandum of understanding would serve as the basis for public debate before formal negotiations on a final sale. The Quebec source said the debt is not part of the deal, but the New Brunswick source said the debt would be addressed through the cash transfer. According to the New Brunswick source, a deal would see Hydro-Quebec establish a New Brunswick-based company and assume ownership of NB Power offices, trucks, power lines and most power plants, including the Point Lepreau nuclear power plant. The source said the deal would close by the end of March and the province would not transfer the ownership of Lepreau until the ongoing $1.4-billion refurbishment is complete. That refit of the reactor was supposed to be completed last month, but is running 18 months behind schedule. Sources say that under the provisions of the memorandum of understanding, NB Power would continue to exist as a utility with ownership of five fossil-fuel powered plants — although only the ones at Dalhousie, Belledune and Coleson Cove are now in use. The power from those plants would be sold back to Quebec. The New Brunswick source said the province’s Energy and Utility Board would remain in place and regulate power rates. The New Brunswick government has come under pressure in recent days to reveal details of discussions over the future of NB Power amid fears that the province could relinquish control of the Crown corporation. Graham has said any deal would have to address a number of key demands, such as lowering power rates for New Brunswickers, eliminating the utility’s debt, and promoting his government’s vision of making New Brunswick a conduit for neighbouring provinces to export their energy to the northeastern United States. He refused to release details but said there would be ample opportunity for debate. Nova Scotia Premier Darrell Dexter said he was advised about the pending deal in a phone call Wednesday with Graham. Dexter refused to release details, but expressed concerns about an agreement that could set back the interests of the Atlantic region. "I have over the last number of months been looking to promote Maritime interests," Dexter said. "There’s a difference between promoting Maritime interests and selling Maritime interests." Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Danny Williams turned up the volume on his opposition to such a deal. "I have great fears and reservations about the stranglehold that Hydro-Quebec could put in place over the Atlantic region and I hope that you share this concern given your extensive statements on your desire to see your province as an energy hub," Williams wrote in a letter to Graham. Williams said he’s disappointed that his province was not made aware of the extent of New Brunswick’s negotiations with Quebec. Williams has accused Hydro-Quebec of trying to block his plans to develop the Lower Churchill hydroelectric project and sell the energy from that development to the U.S., and of taking an unfair share of profits from the 1969 contract to develop the Churchill Falls project in Labrador. "Our province feels compelled to look into the potential of anti-competitive behaviour on the part of Hydro-Quebec given the potential monopoly that could exist as the result of an agreement between them and NB Power," Williams wrote. Graham has issued assurances that Newfoundland and Labrador would have access to transmission lines in New Brunswick for routing any of its hydroelectric power to the U.S. http://thechronicleherald.ca/Front/1150012.html

NSPI urges UARB to approve Nuttby project promptly

NSP: Approve project by Dec. 1

Company plans to build wind farm

By JUDY MYRDEN Business Reporter

Nova Scotia Power Inc. has told government regulators it must soon break ground on its proposed $120-million wind farm in Colchester County or customers will face higher costs.

The power company is asking the Utility and Review Board to approve by Dec. 1 its application to build a 22-turbine wind farm at Nuttby Mountain, about 20 kilometres north of Truro.

"Delayed approval may increase the cost of the project," Nova Scotia Power states in a filing with the board.

The company wants to begin construction next year so the wind turbines could be producing electricity by March 31, 2011, and qualify for federal wind-power incentives.

Ottawa has funding available through the ecoEnergy program, which represents $14 million over the first decade of production at Nuttby Mountain.

"Were construction to be necessary after that time, additional costs and also safety issues must be managed," Nova Scotia Power says.

The utility filed its application to the review board last month.

Before the board makes a decision on the 45-megawatt wind farm, it is allowing interested parties to ask questions about the project. On Friday, Nova Scotia Power responded to hundreds of queries.

It admitted it plans to proceed with the wind-power project even if the federal funding doesn’t come through.

"NSPI will proceed with the project if ecoEnergy incentive funding is not available," the utility says.

The project is to include buying and erecting 22 turbines rated at 2.05 megawatts each, construction of a new substation and transmission lines at Nuttby Mountain.

The power company has already received approval from the review board to buy the turbines and begin construction, but at the risk of shareholders.

Nova Scotia Power bought the development rights to Nuttby Mountain in April from financially troubled EarthFirst Canada Inc. of Calgary.

The power company said its design for the wind farm would generate electricity for more than 10 per cent less cost than what customers would have paid through the contract with EarthFirst.

The turbines would produce enough energy to power about 15,000 homes. The project has the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 100,000 tonnes annually.

http://thechronicleherald.ca/Business/1149685.html

Anaerobic Digesters Provide Green Energy

Comment from the UK

By Charlie Brooks, Daily Telegraph 2/10/09
Oct 3, 2009 - 11:39:09 AM

I keep having nightmares about Ed Miliband, the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change. It's been going on since he told us that "it is socially unacceptable to be against wind turbines in your area". It isn't.

The idea that onshore wind farms, which are defacing our countryside in increasing numbers, are the be-all and end-all of renewable, green electricity has been a very successful con and the idea that you are irresponsible if you object to them is environmental blackmail. Because there are alternatives which are much more environmentally friendly.

If Mr Miliband were to announce, for example, that "it is a criminal offence to be against an anaerobic digester in your area", I would carry him around the country on my shoulders. As listeners to The Archers know, thanks to a controversy over whether to install one on Home Farm in Ambridge, an anaerobic digester works a bit like your stomach: it uses bacteria to break down organic material, while giving off a vast amount of methane which is converted into electricity. In Britain, they are relatively few and far between, but our European cousins have got their act together. The Germans, for example, have 4,000 digesters, generating 10.9 per cent of their renewable energy. In India, there are 300,000.

The advantages of digesters are clear. They produce electricity 24 hours a day, whereas wind farms produce electricity when the wind blows. Because the grid cannot rely on the wind blowing during periods of peak demand, power stations are needed to back up the turbines. Not so with digesters, which also produce heat and organic fertiliser and consume waste.

This latter point is particularly important. Sainsbury's alone produces 56,000 tons of food waste a year. By the end of this year, all of it will end up in digesters, rather than landfill sites. Yet the country as a whole generates between 20 and 30 million tons of food waste, which could become a valuable resource rather than a toxic liability if we developed a network of digesters on the German scale.

Although we are well off the pace as a nation, we do have some innovative pioneers who have seen the light. Owen Yeatman, a farmer in Dorset, is now converting silage and cattle slurry into electricity. In Bedfordshire, Biogen Greenfinch have adapted and improved German technology. Initially, the variety of the waste they processed was corroding their digester and causing it to behave in a rather volatile manner (if you think about what would happen if you scoffed a box of figs and a chicken tikka, you'll get the drift).

The heat generated by digesters is harder to distribute than the electricity, but not impossible. Insulated pipes are becoming more efficient. In Copenhagen, for instance, there is now an 80-mile grid distributing hot air. But it is the fertiliser produced that completes the virtuous circle, returning to the soil the nutrients that grew the food in the first place.

So given that anaerobic digesters kill three birds with one stone - as opposed to wind farms, which only kill one (or rather, wound it) - you would expect government incentives to match those given to the vandals slapping up wind farms. But you would be wrong. After a consultation period which is set to end on October 15, the Government proposes to set a feed-in tariff (the guaranteed price of electricity generated) of nine pence per kilowatt for a farm-based digester. If, however, a farmer were to erect an 80ft wind turbine, he would get double that, even though it would deliver one third of the amount of electricity, and that unreliably.

This is clearly insane. Flatulence, not wind, is the way to go.

http://www.ocnus.net/artman2/publish/Research_11/Anaerobic-Digesters-Provide-Green-Energy.shtml

Lawyer questions NSP wind plan

Consumer advocate wants to know how project cost will affect ratepayers
By JUDY MYRDEN Business Reporter
Wed. Oct 21 - 4:46 AM

Nova Scotia’s electricity consumer advocate is questioning Nova Scotia Power’s proposal to spend $120 million on a wind farm.

"Is it a good deal?" asks Halifax lawyer John Merrick. "Because ultimately it has to be paid for by ratepayers."

The power company has applied to government regulators for permission to build and develop a 22-turbine wind farm at Nuttby Mountain, Colchester County.

Before the Utility and Review Board makes a decision on the wind farm application, it is requesting written questions and comments from interested parties.

Mr. Merrick wants answers to a lot of tough questions about the economics of the project and how it will impact NSP customers’ power bills.

"It should certainly be power that’s produced at a competitive cost for ratepayers. We’re looking at it with care and skepticism. One should always have a healthy degree of skepticism," Mr. Merrick said Tuesday.

The deadline is Friday for NSP to respond to the hundreds of questions filed by the consumer advocate and Nova Scotia businesses and government departments.

Besides concerns about whether the project is a good deal for NSP’s 470,000 customers, Mr. Merrick questions whether the power monopoly should be getting involved in the renewable energy business.

Provincial legislation introduced in January 2007 ordered the power company to increase generation from independent producers to five per cent by 2010 or face a fine of $500,000 a day.

"This renewable energy initiative was going to open the doors for third parties to come in with various proposals. Now we discover that the camel coming through the front door was the camel we thought we weren’t going to see coming in through that door," said Mr. Merrick.

NSP stated in its application the wind farm would provide a net present value of $7.3 million that would benefit customers. Mr. Merrick is requesting the firm’s analysis to prove this statement.

"We’re taking a very focused look at this proposal," he said.

Three months ago, government regulators rejected a request by NSP to buy $60-million worth of biomass-generated electricity from a partnership of NewPage Port Hawkesbury and Strait Bio-Gen.

"We just went through the biomass application, which has a lot of questions as to whether it was good for ratepayers, and it didn’t go anywhere. It may be alive somewhere in the backwoods," said Mr. Merrick.

Located about 20 kilometres north of Truro, the project would include purchasing and erecting the turbines and constructing a new substation and transmission lines.

Last April, NSP bought the Nuttby Mountain wind farm from its struggling developer EarthFirst Canada Inc. in an attempt to move the project forward and help the utility meet its environmental targets of reducing pollution.

NSP is seeking approval of the project by Dec. 1. In the meantime, the board has given permission for the power company to order the turbines and begin construction.

http://thechronicleherald.ca/Business/1148581.html

Wind producers sigh with relief

By BILL POWER Business Reporter

SOME independent energy producers in Nova Scotia were cheering Friday after the Dexter government announced a delay of the province’s green energy plan that threatened them and Nova Scotia Power with potential fines.

"I think it is safe to say the people involved in our industry are breathing easier today," said Larry Leblanc, president and CEO of Renewable Energy Services Ltd., which has a $55-million wind energy farm planned for Point Tupper.

"Our project is moving ahead nicely, but we are still awaiting federal environmental approval and this reflects how tight the deadline was for us and for others," Mr. Leblanc said in an interview.

The province announced a change in its 2007 renewable electricity regulation on Friday. The change adds a year to the deadline that required Nova Scotia Power to obtain five per cent of its electricity from renewable sources by Dec. 31, 2010. The utility now has until Dec. 31, 2011, to meet that target.

The change is part of the government’s plan to obtain 25 per cent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2015.

The renewable energy regulation threatens Nova Scotia Power with fines if green targets are missed. There were concerns among some independent energy producers that they would be held liable for portions of the fines due to missed contract obligations.

"This move gives the independents more time to bring projects to completion that encountered delays, mostly because of the downturn of the economy," said Jennifer Parker, a spokeswoman for Nova Scotia Power.

"Our plan remains the same and this is to comply with the regulation as it previously stood and bring more renewable energy sources to Nova Scotia as soon as possible."

Energy Minister Bill Estabrooks said a number of exciting green energy projects faced possible cancellation if the deadline was not extended.

"The change reflects the reality on the ground," the energy minister said in a news release. "The year-long, global credit crisis has delayed wind power projects."

A plan to increase green energy sources by another five per cent by 2013 remains in place and the environment minister said that by then a minimum of 18.5 per cent of the province’s energy will come from renewable sources.

However, the Ecology Action Centre suggested the one year delay reflects the sad state of the province’s renewable energy plan.

"Even before the financial crisis there was a 50 per cent failure rate for renewable energy proposals from independents because of a flawed competitive bidding process," said Cheryl Ratchford, energy co-ordinator with the centre.

She said the government must devise a strategy that encourages independents to come forward with proposals and allows them to secure contracts to connect to the energy grid before they proceed to seek financing.

Problems with financing have threatened the Shear Wind Inc. project near New Glasgow (30 turbines), the Acciona Wind Energy Canada project near Amherst (20 turbines) and the Scotian WindFields project near Digby Neck (20 turbines).

http://thechronicleherald.ca/Business/1146991.html

NDP eases green rules

Nova Scotia Power allowed to own stake in wind farm to meet targets for clean energy

By JUDY MYRDEN Business Reporter

Published: 2009-09-28

The Dexter government is making it easier for Nova Scotia Power to achieve its targets for generating clean energy next year.

The province now says the utility can own a minority stake in a wind farm and use the green energy the farm generates to meet the government’s 2010 renewable energy targets.

This is a step away from the original legislation. Introduced in January 2007, it ordered the power company to increase generation from independent produces to five per cent by 2010 or face a fine of $500,000 a day.

The issue recently came to light when the power company applied to government regulators for permission to develop the $120-million Nuttby wind farm project. In that application they also asked the regulators if it was OK to sell 51 per cent of the wind farm so that it could meet the 2010 independent, green energy target.

The request came at a time when collapsing financial markets threatened to scuttle the various independent wind turbine projects.

In its application, the utility included a one-page letter from Scott McCoombs — the acting director of energy markets for the provincial Energy Department — who gave them the OK.

"I can advise you that it is my opinion, as administrator, that the definition of ‘independent power producers’ does not restrict an electric utility from having a minority equity holding in an independent power producer," Mr. McCoombs wrote in a letter to a utility vice-president on May 29.

Energy Department spokesman Ross McLaren confirmed that remains the government’s position.

That seems to contradict the NDP’s original stand.

Last April, when the power company announced it was gobbling up Nuttby, one of the province’s independent power projects, NDP Leader Darrell Dexter slammed the government for potentially changing the rules for the utility and entrenching its monopoly.

Nova Scotia Power filed its application, to develop the 22-wind-turbine farm at Nuttby Mountain, Colchester County, earlier this month with the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board.

Located about 20 kilometres north of Truro, the project would include purchasing and erecting the turbines, constructing a new substation and transmission lines.

"Recognizing that the renewable energy requirements are escalating over the next six years, it will serve NSP customers best if compliance with these requirements is achieved in a planned fashion," the utility said in its application.

"Delay in this regard or planning ‘just-in-construction’ may result in higher costs for customers and increased probability of failing to meet the renewable energy standard requirements for the company."

The power company wants the board to approve the project by Dec. 1.

Before the board makes a decision on the wind farm application, it is requesting written comment from parties interested in the project by Nov. 3.

In the meantime, the board has given permission for the power company to order the turbines and begin construction.

Nova Scotia Power’s vice-president of sustainability Robin McAdam said the utility does not have any potential buyers for the wind farm and is focusing on getting the energy project constructed.

"The objective is to make it compliant," said Mr. McAdam last week at the unveiling of the new tidal technology it is testing in the Bay of Fundy with its partner OpenHydro.

He was reluctant to talk any further about the project.

"We really want to focus on the OpenHydro event today," he said.

An economic analysis in its application with the Utility and Review Board shows the power company’s plan for the Nuttby wind farm will be 13 per cent cheaper to operate than EarthFirst Canada Inc.’s original design.

"This application provides a positive net present value to customers of $7.3 million," the utility said in its application to the board.

In addition to the Nuttby Mountain project, two other wind projects are underway in Nova Scotia by independent power producers.

RMSenergy of Westville is building a 51-megawatt farm on Dalhousie Mountain in Pictou County and will sell the electricity to NSP. At Maryvale, north of Antigonish, an additional six megawatts of independently produced wind power will be online by the end of this year.

http://thechronicleherald.ca/Business/1144768.html

Nuttby Mountain project progresses

NSP can buy 22 wind turbines
But no OK yet for $120m wind farm

By JUDY MYRDEN Business Reporter
Wed. Sep 16 - 4:46 AM

Nova Scotia Power was given the go-ahead Tuesday to purchase 22 wind turbines even though its regulator hasn’t approved the $120-million wind farm where they would be used.

The Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board said it has "no objection" to the power company purchasing the wind turbines, but stressed their decision should not be considered by the utility, in any way, as approval of the proposed Colchester County wind farm.

The board released the decision just four days after the power company asked for immediate approval to purchase the turbines.

"Nova Scotia Power has in the past undertaken expenditures . . . at shareholder risk and so there is precedent for proceeding in this manner," the board said.

The utility filed its application to develop a 45-megawatt project at Nuttby Mountain, Colchester County, with the board on Friday. It would begin operation late next year.

Located about 20 kilometres north of Truro, the project would include purchasing and erecting 22 turbines rated at 2.05 megawatts each, construction of a new substation and transmission lines.

The power company asked the board to approve the project by Dec. 1 and wanted immediate approval to proceed with project construction, which included ordering the turbines.

Before the board makes a decision on the wind farm, it is requesting written comment from parties interested in the project by Nov. 3, 2009.

In April, the utility purchased the development rights for Nuttby Mountain from the financially troubled EarthFirst Canada Inc. of Calgary.

The power company said its design for the Nuttby Mountain wind farm will generate electricity at a cost that is more than 10 per cent lower than what customers would have paid through the contract with EarthFirst.

The turbines will produce enough energy to power approximately 15,000 homes. The project has the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 100,000 tonnes annually.

"The Nuttby Mountain project responds in a significant way to our customers’ desire for more clean energy," Robin McAdam, NSP vice-president of sustainability, said in a news release.

In addition to the Nuttby Mountain project, two other wind projects are underway in Nova Scotia by independent power producers.

RMSenergy of Westville is building a 51-megawatt farm on Dalhousie Mountain in Pictou County and will sell the electricity to Nova Scotia Power.

At Maryvale, north of Antigonish, an additional six megawatts of independently produced wind power will be online by the end of this year.

http://thechronicleherald.ca/Business/1142706.html

Maine Medical Association adopts resolution on wind energy and public health

Summary:

The Maine Medical Association adopted this important resolution regarding wind energy development and public health at its September 12, 2009 meeting.

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Maine Medical Association

Resolution RE: Wind Energy and Public Health

WHEREAS, proposals to locate and build wind energy facilities in the State have at times proven controversial, due to concerns regarding potential effects of such facilities on the public health, and

WHEREAS, the trade off between the public good of generating electricity and the adverse health effects warrant appropriate evidence-based scientific research, and

WHEREAS, assessing the potential health impact of wind turbines has been difficult to measure but if present would be of significant concern. This is especially apparent regarding the noise level and other noise characteristics specific to industrial wind turbines, and

WHEREAS, there is a need for modification of the State's regulatory process for siting wind energy developments to reduce the potential for controversy regarding siting of grid-scale wind energy development and to address health controversy with regulatory changes to include, but not limited to:

a) Refining certain procedures of the Maine Department of Environmental Protection and the Maine Land Use Regulation Commission to reflect scientific evidence regarding potential health effects, and to further explore such potential health effects;

b) Judging the effects of wind energy development on potential public health by avoiding unreasonable noise and shadow flicker effects, with development setbacks and incorporating upto date noise regulations specific for industrial wind turbines adequate to protect public health and safety.

Therefore be it resolved that the Maine Medical Association work with health organizations and regulatory agencies to provide scientific information of known medical consequences of wind development in order to help safeguard human health and the environment.

AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Maine Medical Association 1) work with other stakeholders to encourage performance of studies on health effects of wind turbine generation by independent qualified researchers at qualified research institutions; 2) ensure that physicians and patients alike are informed of evidence-based research results.

http://www.windaction.org/documents/23095

NSPI getting further into the wind energy business?

Nova Scotia Power Incorporated looks to be investing further into the wind energy generating business (see Herald stories copied below). Like so many vultures, NSPI is cleaning up the remnants of wind energy projects that have fallen by the wayside during this recent economic crisis.

The conditions of the contracts with NSPI that these projects are required to meet make them difficult to be financially successful in the first place. The Recession, and ensuing collapse of some of the financial backers, put the final nails in the coffins. These conditions make these projects profitable only to NSPI and for any developers who can hang on to a contract as project managers.

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NSP throws projects a lifeline

Published: 2009-09-11

Utility would buy stakes in four stalled wind power developments

By JUDY MYRDEN Business Reporter

Nova Scotia Power wants to kick-start several stalled wind power developments by buying a minority stake in them.

"We’re trying to get all of the projects that aren’t moving ahead as quickly as they would like, to get going," Robin Mc-Adam, the power company’s vice-president of sustainability, told reporters Thursday outside a meeting about the provincial government’s new targets for using energy from renewable sources.

Nova Scotia Power signed six long-term wind energy agreements last year but the collapse of the credit markets has put the future of four of them in jeopardy.

Mr. McAdam said it’s too early to say whether any of the developers will take the company up on its offer.

The two projects that are proceeding are the $12-million Maryvale wind turbine development in Antigonish County and RMSenergy’s plan to connect 34 turbines in the Cobequid Range 25 kilometres west of New Glasgow.

How much Nova Scotia Power would spend on moving the other four projects forward has yet to be determined, Mr. McAdam said.

"That’s going to depend on how many people are interested and how all that goes," he said. "It’s too early to know how much money will be involved."

The company’s investment would be recovered through customers’ power rates, and that would require regulatory approval, Mr. McAdam said.

"I think people understand how fundamental the economic turmoil has been that we’ve gone through," he said. "I think the public would like to see the projects going ahead. We know our customers want more renewables, so we’re trying to respond to that customer request."

Earlier this year, Nova Scotia Power gobbled up one of the province’s troubled independent wind power projects.

A proposed $90-million wind energy farm in Colchester County was put up for sale last October after its Calgary developer sought bankruptcy protection. EarthFirst Canada Inc. had announced it was not putting any more money into the wind farm, located at Nuttby Mountain, 20 kilometres north of Truro.

EarthFirst said it sold the project to Nova Scotia Power for $800,000, minus working capital and other adjustments. In fact, the power company said it would get a cheque for $300,000 as it held a security deposit of $1.125 million in case the wind farm did not proceed.

Last year, EarthFirst signed a 25-year agreement with Nova Scotia Power to sell wind-generated electricity to the power company.

Mr. MacAdam said work is proceeding on the project, with the regulatory filings to be made later this month.

Federal environmental approval, which would take advantage of financial incentives worth million of dollars for renewable energy projects, is underway, Mr. McAdam said.

The Nuttby wind farm would have a capacity of 45 megawatts and produce enough electricity to power about 15,000 homes. The original proposal included up to 22 wind turbines but the recent plan has 15 larger turbines.

New targets will have the province generating one-quarter of its electricity from renewable sources by 2015.

The target could rise to as high as 40 per cent by 2020.

Nova Scotia Power now generates 10 to 12 per cent of its electricity from renewable sources.

http://thechronicleherald.ca/Business/1141930.html

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NSP seeks OK for 22 Nuttby turbines

With URB approval, company will spend $120 million on Pictou County wind farm
By JUDY MYRDEN Business Reporter
Sat. Sep 12 - 4:46 AM

Nova Scotia Power is seeking regulatory approval to spend $120 million to construct a 22-turbine wind farm in Pictou County.

The utility filed its application Friday with the Utility and Review Board to develop the 45-megawatt project at Nuttby Mountain, Colchester County. It would begin operation late next year.

"The Nuttby Mountain project responds in a significant way to our customers’ desire for more clean energy," said Robin McAdam, NSP vice-president of sustainability, in a news release Friday.

"We are excited about being able to undertake this development and demonstrate our commitment to meeting government targets and public expectations regarding renewable energy."

NSP is also asking the board to give the green light for the project by Dec. 1, and wants immediate approval to proceed with project construction, which includes ordering turbines.

In addition to the Nuttby Mountain project, two other wind projects are underway in Nova Scotia by independent power producers.

RMSenergy of Westville is building a 51-megawatt farm on Dalhousie Mountain in Pictou County, and will sell the electricity to NSP. At Maryvale, north of Antigonish, an additional six megawatts of independently produced wind power will be online by the end of this year.

The wind developments are critical to moving Nova Scotia beyond its heavy reliance on dirty, coal-fired electrical generation.

The Nuttby Mountain project, about 20 kilometres north of Truro, would include purchasing and erecting 22 turbines rated at 2.05 megawatts each, construction of a new substation, and transmission interconnection.

The regulatory filing comes a day after Mr. McAdam said the utility is willing to buy a minority stake in three delayed wind projects that were scheduled to start producing wind generated electricity by the end of this year.

Mr. McAdam said it was too early to know if any of the companies would take the utility up on its offer.

In April, NSP purchased the development rights for Nuttby Mountain from the financially troubled EarthFirst Canada Inc. of Calgary.

NSP says the design for the Nuttby Mountain farm will generate electricity at a cost that is more than 10 per cent lower than what customers would have paid through the contract with EarthFirst.

The turbines will produce enough energy to power approximately 15,000 homes. The project has the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 100,000 tonnes annually.

http://thechronicleherald.ca/Business/1142136.html

Wind Farms: the Death of Britain

Originally found in UK's (admittedly very Conservative newspaper) The Daily Telegraph from July 16th from James Delingpole's blog www.jamesdelingpole.com.

I have used the Telegraph link (below) for the sake of the 109 following comments. Very interesting to see what other counties are going through and there are some useful links to other sites in the comments. I am going to look more at the Aeolian Tones idea.

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Wind Farms: the death of Britain

“How the hell did we let that happen?” we often ask ourselves when we look at the brutalist monstrosity tower blocks which we allowed to blight our towns in the sixties. In a few decades’ time we’re going to be asking exactly the same question about the 300 foot wind turbines ruining what’s left of Britain’s wilderness.

And a bit like the perpetrators of terrible sixties architecture now, no one’s going to be able to come up with a satisfactory answer because, quite simply, there isn’t one: wind turbines are a bad idea in almost every way imaginable.

They don’t work when there’s no wind.

They don’t work when it’s too windy.

They produce so little power - and so unreliably and erratically - that even if you put one on every hill top in Britain you’d still need to rely on nuclear, coal and gas-generated electricity for your main source of energy.

They chew up flying wildlife and scare horses.

They produce a subsonic hum which drives you mad if you’re downwind of them.

They turn pristine landscape into Teletubby-style horror visions.

They destroy property values.

They steal light.

They’re visible for miles around so that just when you’re thinking you’ve got away from it all you’re reminded of man’s grim presence by the whirling white shapes on the horizon.

They’re environmentally damaging: their massive concrete bases alone requiring enough concrete to fill two Olympic-size swimming pools; then there’s the access roads that have to be built through the unspoilt landscape to put them up in the first place.

They’re twice as expensive as conventionally-produced electricity.

They make you feel a bit queasy, especially the three-bladed ones whose asymmetry is disturbing.

To supply the equivalent output of one nuclear power station you’d need a wind farm the size of Greater Manchester.

When I wrote all this a couple of years ago in How To Be Right, my polemical A to Z of everything wrong with Blair’s and Brown’s Britain, I did think I was erring slightly towards the Dystopian.

The “wind turbines” entry was more of a warning of the awful things that could go wrong if the more extreme eco-nutters got their way and the government completely lost its head. Not even in my darkest moments did I imagine that this nightmare vision would come true.

Why? Well, apart from anything else, because the British landscape is our greatest asset, the thing that makes so proud to have been born here and to live here. In July, I’ll be walking with my family in the near-deserted hills of the Welsh Borders; in late August, I’ll be in Scotland wandering amid the purple heather of the Highlands; in October, the coastal path round Prawle Point and Bolt Head. I love swimming in burns, rock pools, rivers, beneath waterfalls, in the sea off South Dorset. I count it one of my greatest privileges to have been hunting over the stone walls of the Cotswolds and the steep valleys of Exmoor. Few things make me happier or more glad to be alive than the joy that so much of our countryside remains so pristine and stunningly beautiful.

And now, in the name of environmentalism, to serve a cause - CO2 reduction - that will not make the blindest bit of difference to global climate, our Government is destroy this landscape.

Well I suppose they would. They’re Labour and they’ve never really understood the country in the way the Conservatives do.

Or rather, the way the Conservatives did. For, it would seem judging from the comments of Tory environment spokesman Greg Clark that the Conservatives now hate our countryside just as much as Labour does.

To me, it quite beggars belief that a party led by an ex-hunting man representing as beautiful a rural seat as Witney should yet fail to take a stand on this, the gravest environmental threat to Britain in our lifetime. Wind farms are a disaster and an act of lunacy. If the Tories refuse to take a stand against them, they most definitely do not deserve our vote.

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/jamesdelingpole/100003510/wind-farms-the-death-of-britain/

No access to N.B. transmission lines could hamper P.E.I. wind power export plans

THE CANADIAN PRESS

CHARLOTTETOWN — A P.E.I. plan to export wind energy to New England may be in jeopardy now that New Brunswick says it has no room for Island power on its transmission lines.

Last year, the province announced a $1-billion plan for wind energy development that would see the Island increase its wind power production to 500 megawatts by 2013.

Under the plan, private developers would invest the capital needed to achieve the province’s energy objective and most of the power would be earmarked for export to the eastern United States.

But an official with NB Power told the Charlottetown Guardian on Tuesday there’s no room on its transmission lines for any energy exports from P.E.I.

“The transmission that is available right now is completely tied up,” said Heather MacLean, manager of media relations for NB Power.

Over a year ago, the New Brunswick utility did tender some of its transmission capacity for use by other jurisdictions, but all of the excess was bought up by Quebec.

MacLean said if P.E.I. still wants to export wind power to New England, it will have to negotiate with NB Power or Quebec.

That could throw a monkey wrench into the province’s current search for private wind energy developers who want to export, said Environment Minister Richard Brown.

“It’s going to hamper our tender for wind development on P.E.I.,” he said. “If the developers can’t get their energy to the market, then we’re not going to get many bids.”

Opposition energy critic Mike Currie says Brown should have known this was going to happen long ago.

Currie has been asking questions about this issue for some time in the legislature. As a former development minister, he said he knew there was no room for the kind of transmission capacity needed to move the large amounts of power proposed by the province for export.

“The first thing that came into my mind when they first made their announcement was how are you going to get the power from western P.E.I., across the bridge and through New Brunswick,” Currie said.

“It looks like there was never a deal and that (Premier Robert) Ghiz jumped out front on this and now he got caught.”

Brown said the province did consult with NB Power and NS Power before the plan was put together and both utilities saw no issues at that time.

But now he, too, is being told New Brunswick currently has no room for P.E.I.’s energy on its transmission lines.

“The markets have changed. Wind production and energy production is fast moving,” Brown explained.

http://www.ngnews.ca/index.cfm?sid=281107&sc=286

Digby wind project approved

Province OKs 17 of 20 proposed turbines
By BRIAN MEDEL Yarmouth Bureau
Wed. Aug 26 - 4:46 AM

Environment Minister Sterling Belliveau has approved a wind turbine project for Digby Neck, saying he’s confident any problems can be overcome.

Scotian WindFields Inc., a Dartmouth company, and its partner, SkyPower Corp. of Toronto, will build and operate the Digby Wind Park.

"I am convinced that any adverse effects or significant environmental effects of the undertaking can be adequately mitigated through compliance with the attached terms and conditions," Mr. Belliveau said in a one-page letter to Charmaine Thompson, SkyPower’s vice-president of project management.

The letter of approval, dated Monday, was sent to SkyPower’s headquarters in Ontario.

The accompanying terms and conditions deal with items including noise monitoring and regular inspections of the turbines and the sites they occupy.

The proponents must also develop a complaint resolution plan, according to a three-page document outlining terms and conditions.

Nova Scotia Power will buy all the electricity from the facility. The provincial power utility gave the wind producers a 20-year contract last year.

The 1,100-hectare wind park will be located on leased, private land, and is designed to produce enough clean energy to power about 10,000 homes annually.

The Digby Wind Park will install new General Electric wind turbines and be running in less than a year, said Scotian WindFields president Barry Zwicker.

Each machine will produce 1.5 megawatts and be installed in the Rossway-Gullivers Cove area of Digby Neck, about 12 kilometres west of Digby.

Government is allowing 17 of the 20 proposed turbines to be built. Three units were not allowed in their proposed locations, presumably because of their proximity to houses. Relocating those turbines will require more government consultation.

"We’re looking at a plan to relocate those," Mr. Zwicker said Tuesday.

The company will soon resubmit a bid to place those three turbines elsewhere. He said the three turbines that must be repositioned were within 600 to 700 metres of homes. The next closest turbine will be about 750 metres from a dwelling, Mr. Zwicker said.

When the project was announced last year, SkyPower president Kerry Adler said the Digby Neck wind park would be worth about $80 million in construction and related costs.

Earlier this month, SkyPower announced it was filing for protection from its creditors to allow it to restructure under the Companies" Creditors Arrangement Act.

Mr. Zwicker said the Digby project is definitely going ahead and, with government approval, financing the project will now be easier to conclude.

Road development may begin soon, he said.

"We just couldn’t do anything on the site until we received this approval," said Mr. Zwicker.

Waterford resident Nora Peach said at least one of the turbines will be as close as 750 metres to a home, and some are within 1,000 metres.

"Down at the end of Gullivers Cove Road, some of those houses would be 800 or . . . 975"" metres from a turbine, she said.

"They don’t have room really . . . on such a narrow strip of land to go back any further."

Some residents had asked that the turbines be kept at least two kilometres away.

Ms. Peach said the new provincial government has joined the proponent in ignoring concerns about possible effects on property values, ecotourism and migratory birds.

"It’s quite a wall of turbines,"" she said. ""It’s probably not good for birds."

The company must monitor and report all bird deaths resulting from collisions with turbine blades or towers for a period of two years.

http://thechronicleherald.ca/Front/1139433.html

As of noon August 27th, at this Herald link there are 106 comments coming from all kinds of directions. Worth viewing.

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Some of the signs to be seen around Digby:

Wind Concerns Ontario

The website http://windconcernsontario.wordpress.com/ is not even a year old but has burgeoned into an excellent resource for anyone anywhere who has concerns about wind energy.

This is from their "about us" page:

Wind Concerns Ontario is a province-wide coalition which promotes awareness of the true impacts of industrial wind power facilities on our health, environment, economy and quality of life.

Wind Concerns Ontario provides a strong, unified voice of opposition to the unchecked rush to locate over six hundred forty massive industrial wind turbines across the province in the last 5 years without the benefit of full environmental assessment. Plans to locate thousands more at an accelerated schedule, with even less oversight are tearing apart the very fabric of rural Ontario. Along with their transformers, transmission lines, overhead distribution wires and substations these industrial wind turbines threaten people and the environment in serene, historic, rural communities, on prime agricultural land, migratory bird paths, close to sensitive wetlands, designated wildlife areas and pristine shorelines.

Wind Concerns Ontario is in favour of environmentally sound solutions to our energy demands and environmental challenges. However hundreds of published reports from scientists, engineers, physicians and environmentalists refute misleading claims by wind power developers that industrial wind technology will be either effective or harmless.

Wind Concerns Ontario is committed to informing the people of Ontario as to the whole truth about industrial wind power.

Digby wind project ‘going forward’

Scotian Windfields’ Ontario partner filing for creditor protection
By TOM PETERS Business Reporter
Fri. Aug 14 - 4:46 AM

Scotian Windfields is confident and committed to its Digby Neck wind turbine park project despite the fact its Ontario partner in the development is seeking protection from its creditors.

"The project is still solid in terms of going forward," Scotian president Barry Zwicker said Thursday.

Mr. Zwicker said he was aware of Skypower Corp.’s creditor protection filing before it hit the news and said it is a concern, "but ultimately our concern is for the success of the project."

Skypower announced on Wednesday that it was filing for protection to allow it to restructure under the Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act. In a news release, Skypower, a company whose major shareholder is the financially troubled Lehman Brothers, said the filing was to facilitate the transition of the company through a sale process.

Skypower is a developer of renewable energy projects with projects under way across Canada and other parts of the world.

Scott Brownrigg, a Skypower spokesman, said Thursday that, "The CAA process should have no bearing on the evaluation of Skypower’s environmental assessment or approvals with either the Digby or other projects we have going on. It’s business as usual."

Skypower president and CEO Kerry Adler said in the release that several potential bidders have expressed an interest in purchasing the company’s assets.

"We expect a vibrant process to maximize value for our stakeholders and preserve the business as a going concern for the employees, customers and suppliers," he said.

As part of the restructuring, Skypower said it has a commitment for US$15 million that will allow it to transition the business through a quick and efficient competitive sales process.

Scotian Windfields of Dartmouth, and Skypower have proposed a 30-megawatt wind farm on Digby Neck. It would be comprised of 20 wind turbines each generating 1.5 megawatts of power.

Mr. Zwicker said, "We have been reassured that the project in Digby, in particular, has got Skypower’s share of funding set aside and quite honestly everything we have seen in terms of the continued involvement of our Skypower partners has been nothing but solid."

He concedes that there is "an issue" but "I don’t think it is a direct issue right now as far as the Digby project is concerned."

In June the provincial Environment Department informed the developers that additional information was required in their application for environmental approval.

Mr. Zwicker said that information has been compiled and is now before the minister, who has 50 days to review the material and make a decision. The 30 days for public review of the project has also been completed.

The plan was to have a project start up in September. Mr. Zwicker still hopes to keep that time line although he admits construction may not begin until late September.

"We are looking to bring this project online during the summer and fall of 2010, so we have got to get started fairly soon," he said.

http://thechronicleherald.ca/Business/1137423.html