Power from the mountain

Wind farm now feeding into grid By Our Staff Tue, Oct 5 - 4:53 AM Nova Scotia Power’s $120-million Nuttby Mountain Wind Farm is now providing electricity to homes and businesses in the province, the utility announced Monday. The company says five of the planned 22 wind turbines are in operation at the Colchester County site, and by the end of the year the remaining turbines will be fully operational, producing enough electricity for 15,000 homes. "These are exciting times for our company and for the province as we continue to bring more renewable energy online," Robin McAdam, Nova Scotia Power vice-president, said in a news release. "The Nuttby wind farm will provide value for our customers, delivering price stability over the medium to long term, while reinforcing our commitment to meet Nova Scotia’s renewable energy targets." Nova Scotia Power customers will pay for the project through their power bills but the exact amount will not be known until the utility goes before the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board for a general rate application, Nova Scotia Power spokeswoman Patty Faith said Monday. 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 NSP picked up the development rights in April 2009. The review board approved the 22-turbine project on Nuttby Mountain in December 2009. 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." The project, located about 20 kilometres north of Truro, has the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Nova Scotia by more than 100,000 tonnes annually. Nova Scotia Power expects to have more than 280 megawatts of wind-generated electricity on the power grid by the end of 2010, representing 11 per cent of Nova Scotia’s generation capacity. In addition to Nuttby Mountain, NSP’s 30-megawatt Digby wind project is progressing, with full commissioning planned for the end of this year. The Point Tupper wind farm was commissioned on Aug. 4 and Nova Scotia Power has a 49 per cent interest in the 22-megawatt Renewable Energy Services Limited wind project. http://www.thechronicleherald.ca/Business/1205447.html