A proposed wind energy project is gaining momentum in Wellington North
Thomas Schneider, of Schneider Power Inc., was at council Monday regarding the proposed wind generating turbines on a property northeast of Arthur. Schneider said the process started about two years ago, and has included roughly $1-million worth of planning to reach this step.
He described the wind farm as 2.5 kilometres northeast of Arthur. The 300 acre property lies between Line 2 and the former railway right of way, and its southwest corner is adjacent to Arthur’s sewage lagoon property.
The five wind turbines would generate 10 megawatts.
One point in the project’s favour he said, is that it is located adjacent to an existing Hydro One 44kv line, so there is no need for new lines to be constructed to bring the energy to the distribution grid.
Schneider is hoping to get final approvals this year in order to lay the groundwork for the turbines this fall. His company has an agreement with the Ontario Power Authority to purchase the energy.
Schneider said Ontario continues to face a severe shortage of electrical power and this project would help in the Ontario’s government’s goal of creating new jobs in the renewable energy sector, to offset the loss of jobs in manufacturing.
He believes that power outages and rolling blackouts could become the norm in the next couple of years, unless the current situation changes.
Such projects also reduce the dependence on energy generated outside of the province.
In terms of the local project, Schneider said the proposed project is located on a privately owned dairy farm on flat land, in an area with a low population density, where the land can continue to be farmed.
He cited issues raised by companies wanting to create 90 megawatt wind farms in Mapleton, Wellington North and Centre Wellington, and contended operations of that scale are closer to industrial operations. He said one of his proposal that the company is Canadian owned and that this is a Canadian solution.
Another aspect is Schneider Power wants to primarily use local contractors and suppliers for much of the project – which also helps the local economy.
Large scale projects, he said, operate on economies of scale, and as a result are not friendly in terms of risk.
Schneider Power plans to do things on a smaller scale, with a lower impact to the local environment.
He said he would rather see 10 small 10 megawatt projects distributed around the province rather than a large 100 megawatt project. The advantage to smaller projects, he contended, is they are closer to areas where power is, or will be needed.
As well, no new power lines need to be connected, creating a more stable electrical grid, and they are less intrusive to communities.
He pointed to a similar project on Manitoulin Island, where local contractors were involve in much of the road works, creating the foundations, and doing much of the electrical work.
Schneider said his company is one of the Canadian leaders in renewable energy projects.
“We believe this project is realistic.”
Work already completed in Arthur included a two-year $1-million development program, signed a 20 year deal for power sales, signed an $11-million wind turbine purchase agreement, and arranged for $25-million construction capital.
His hope is for initial construction to begin later this year, with the turbines slated for operation in 2009.
What is slowing the project down are the final approvals from the township and the county’s wind energy policy.
The property still needs a zoning bylaw amendment to allow the construction. That will require a public meeting.
Schneider had hoped for such a meeting in early May, but it seems the county will not be addressing its draft wind policies until June.
Broomhead said the process may seem slow, but the municipality has heard the horror stories from other areas. “We are more than happy with your proposal and the work done.”
The mayor believes approval is close, but not all of council has seen the final document proposal. County planner Gary Cousins pointed out that Wellington County is not looking to decide if wind farms can exist. That is not the county’s call. Rather, Cousins said, the county is considering how such projects can be regulated. He added that Wellington North can make up its own mind regarding the project and could hold a public meeting whenever it chose.
