Wind park starts storm

By BRIAN MEDEL Yarmouth Bureau
Published: 2009-05-23

DIGBY — With just one week remaining for people to comment on a proposed 30-megawatt wind turbine park at Digby Neck, some worried local residents have gotten together to scrutinize the proponent’s environmental assessment application.

Scotian Windfields Inc. has partnered with SkyPower Corp. of Ontario to create and operate Digby Wind Park.

A year ago the partnership revealed that it plans to erect 20 turbines in an area 40 kilometres by five kilometres in Digby Neck.

The partnership has been given a 20-year contract by Nova Scotia Power and plans to have turbines operating by the spring of 2010, according to updated schedules.

The company filed an environmental assessment registration document on April 30. The public has until May 30 to comment.

Judith Peach, one of about two dozen area residents who met Thursday night, said they’ve never been asked by the company what they think about the project.

That’s probably because they don’t have property leased to the wind park for turbine placement or access roads.

"They’ve consulted with our municipal government, assuming that they’re representing us," said Ms. Peach about the company.

"They’ve consulted with the people who’ve leased. They’ve consulted with Nova Scotia Power.

"They haven’t consulted with the people who aren’t leasing (but) who will have to live with the turbines."

The environmental assessment report refers to the region as being sparsely populated, said Ms. Peach. But she said 110 homes can be found within a couple of kilometres of the proposed wind turbine park. Many are within 600 metres, she said."If the company thinks it’s sparsely populated and therefore there’s no opposition, then that’s not really the case," said Ms. Peach about the region.

Scotian Windfields also launched its own Digby project website (digbywindproject.com) this month.

A link to Nova Scotia’s Environment Department provides the entire environmental assessment registration document for reading and printing and the opportunity for anyone to comment on the project.

According to the company website, a community information session is planned for this summer, although a time and place have not yet been chosen.

http://thechronicleherald.ca/NovaScotia/1123474.html