In June 2008, BowArk hoped to have construction of their St. Joseph wind farm underway in the fall.

At the latest public information meeting on July 7, they were saying the same thing, but this time with a brand new plan aimed at being implemented starting August 2009.

The plan unveiled to people in St. Joseph called for a decrease in turbine power from 2.4 to 2.3 megawatts, and an increase in numbers, from 120 to 130. "We changed turbine manufacturers," Keith Knudsen, manager and development engineer said.

The switch from the Mitsubishi turbines to the Siemens built models will also allow for quieter operation. The blades will be slightly larger than originally planned from a 93 metre diameter sweep to 101 metres.

The project will provide enough electricity for more than 100,000 households, and will include over $600 million of investment. That includes 200-300 jobs during construction and 15 to 30 permanent jobs during operation.

More than 250 landowners are involved.

Knudsen said the new plan calls for rows of turbines instead of the scattered approach they planned initially.

Because of the new plan, many people coming to the hall had questions.

"People are asking, where's my turbine that was there last time?" Knudsen said. "We tried to make it clear that it was only a preliminary layout."

Although they are close to a year behind schedule, Knudsen said they are still in the process of negotiating a power purchase agreement with Manitoba Hydro.

That must be concluded before construction begins. "Our construction will take us 15 to 18 months," he said.

Knudsen said the new plan also takes into account those who did not want the turbines close to their homes. A buffer zone of one km from St. Joseph, and two miles from Neubergthal is included in the plans. Knudsen said he hadn't heard anything negative at the open house. "For the most part people are happy," he said.

R.M. of Montcalm Reeve Roger Vermette was in attendance at the open house, and said he was very excited. "We're hoping the project goes ahead," he said. "Jobs will be created and some will be here for years."

For a municipality of 1,300 reversing a trend is important. "We've been seeing a declining population for the last five years," he said.

That puts increased tax pressure on the remaining citizens, something that could be eased by the wind turbines. "We estimate about $600,000 (in taxes)," Vermette said. "The education taxes will be about $1 million."

If the project continues on schedule, the entire project of 130 turbines will be running by early 2011.