A few details still need to be hammered down before a wind energy project near Arthur can get off the ground.
On Monday, councillors here held a public meeting with representatives of Schneider Power to review its proposal for a 10megawatt windfarm northeast of Arthur – Part Lots 2 and 3, on Concession 2.
The application before council was for a zoning bylaw amendment to allow the additional use of five commercial wind turbines to generate electrical power to be sold to the Ontario power grid.
Prior to discussion of that application, council heard yet another presentation by proponents. On behalf of the proponents planner and surveyor Derek Graham described the application as one to promote green energy, and, if approved that night, would be the first in Wellington County.
He said the site “is on the outskirts of metropolitan Arthur village.” He stressed that Schneider Power is an Ontario based company.
Thomas Schneider, of Schneider Power Inc., said its operation in central Manitoulin in 18 months went from shovels in the ground to switching on to the power grid. He was at the meeting to provide an overview of the proposal and updates.
Schneider considers timing a key element – especially considering the current economy. He said he did not remember a time when so many things are going wrong at the same time with various sectors under pressure. But, he reported its development work and studies are completed for the Arthur project.
He considered it just in time, with reports coming in that the climate crisis is approaching far more quickly than anticipated.
Schneider gave council photo composites of how the towers would appear on the landscape. But, at nearly 400 feet tall, they will still be roughly the height of a 40-storey building – even though their bases will be painted dark green to blend with the tree line and the upper portions painted an off-white to blend with the sky.
Schneider said there are no plans beyond the proposed five wind turbines – which is listed in its power contract with the Ontario Power Authority. He hopes to start construction on the 350 acres parcel of land sometime next spring.
He outlined various studies completed under provincial and federal guidelines: noise assessment, natural environment impact, hydrogeological, environmental assessment, avian and bat studies, agricultural and planning impacts, visual assessment, archeological studies, and shadow flicker assessments.
He said that only 4% of the farmland will be lost due to the space required for the project. The remainder would continue to be a working farm.
He noted one study was required for Transport Canada and NAV Canada to ensure the towers would not interfere with air traffic or communications – such as cell towers.
Currently the land is zoned as prime agricultural.
Literature provided by the company states, “Arthur is a special place. Only a very few locations in Ontario have enough wind to make a contribution to our energy needs. Wind energy is an affordable and viable source of electricity.”
The literature goes on to point out that “Arthur’s great wind resource comes from the town’s exposure to easterly and west winds coming over an elevated exposure. Arthur’s wind is reliable and can help the town make a much needed contribution to Ontario’s energy needs. Wind energy is great for the environment and is a wise choice for the future.”
Wind helps diversify the energy mix and provides a clean way to generate power and make Canada more independently from foreign energy sources.
“But most importantly, wind energy is completely renewable, highly reliable, and very energy efficient.”
The report added that the government signed a power purchase agreement with the company in 2007 to place five, two-megawatt wind generating turbines on a dairy farm east of Arthur.
Schneider wants the property rezoned to allow special provisions to allow wind energy generation. He noted what is being proposed already exceeds recommended distance setbacks outlined provincial authorities.
Schneider added there would be economic spin-offs to the local community. He said many people are concerned outside workers are brought in and no jobs are created.
He said that during construction of a similar project on Manitoulin Island, the plan was to hire local contractors and workers. In addition to tax revenues, he said there will still need to be people to assist with the maintenance.
Schneider stressed the project would not interfere with rural activities such as farming.
With the economy as it is, he considers the timing perfect to bring an influx of jobs for local contractors, electricians and those involved in other trades. In monetary terms, he believes there would be over $2-million worth of work outsourced into the local community.
In anticipation of approvals, Schneider has already placed orders for the turbines, which will arrive early next year. At this point, a site plan agreement still needs to be drawn up.
“This is just one small step in helping Ontario becoming more energy independent. Arthur, as a community, has the opportunity to be a leader in the province and show how it should be done. It could be a showcase of renewable energy,” Schneider said.
Dealing with the nuts and bolts of the policy was planner Mark Van Patter, who explained to council the bylaw has two main objectives.
One is to deal with the Schneider proposal, but also to generically set policies for large scale wind generation operations. “It is important we get the generic stuff right.”
He said the issue of wind power has been reviewed for the past two years and he believes the requirements outlined in the draft bylaw are reasonable.
Van Patter added that council will still need to deal with the issue of small scale generators at a later time.
One of his original concerns was a potential height increase to 149 metres (108 metre tower and 41 metre blade) – 488.8 feet. He wondered if that change would affect the various studies.
Later in the meeting, Schneider explained there was a height change – but it is now lower, not higher.
He said that the new tower height is 85 metres with a blade length of 35 metres – a total of 120 metres (393 feet).
Schneider said the lower height would actually reduce the tower’s effects. He believes the bylaw being created by the township will be a good precedent.
One of the more vocal of the few residents at the meeting was John Northcote, of RR3 Arthur. As in the past, Northcote remains concerned proposed setback are not enough. He said that while the blades themselves may not create significant noise, the transformers needed to bring the energy onto the grid do make noise.
Schneider explained the transformers are located at the base of the towers, not at the hydro line connections.
When Northcote recommended the proponent at least keep any transmission lines on the same side of the road as existing power lines, Schneider explained that is already in the proposal.
The project requires an overbuild of existing lines.
Mayor Mike Broomhead said some issues will be addressed through a site plan agreement with the proponent.
Northcote also questioned if the municipality would be compensated for wear and tear on local roads, and how this could affect the former railway line, which is used by horse riders and snowmobilers and is a potential hiking trail.
Schneider said valid concerns were raised, but he added the fear of ice being thrown from the blades is a myth. He said that if there is an imbalance in the rotors, the system shuts down completely.
“It is part of a cold weather package required to operate in Canada. As for the impact to trail riders or snowmobilers, Schneider noted that at the Manitoulin site, a trail traverses between two of the turbines – a trail that is used by cyclists in the summer. As discussion wound down, councillor Dan Yake said the proponent and planner were ready to address concerns brought up that night.
Broomhead commented that he was at a Canadian Wind Energy conference a few weeks ago and the increase in the interest is phenomenal.
A few years ago there were only a few hundred people at the conference, but this year there were 2000 delegates and 220 booths – one of them being a booth housing three litigation lawyers, Broomhead said.
He said it was interesting to see how different provinces are dealing with the issues.
While Broomhead said what is before council may not be perfect, “We’ve done everything in our power to make it a good document.”
