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The installation of a massive wind turbine atop Grouse Mountain has been delayed after the lifting device intended to carry the blades -- a kind of giant sling -- did not perform well in tests on Thursday.
Construction work on a windmill as tall as a 20-storey building on the peak of Grouse Mountain was halted Friday because of safety concerns about lifting the massive blades.
A Skycrane helicopter was expected to lift the three 37-metre-long blades up to the mountain ski resort from a barge.
Wind farm opponents voice their concerns to town council; Two delegations appear before council Monday night
June 30, 2009 by Ron Giofu in The Amherstburg Echo
June 30, 2009 by Ron Giofu in The Amherstburg Echo
Town council has scheduled a public meeting on genGrowth's application for the South Side Wind Farm but area residents have not waited to once again voice their concerns.
A number of residents turned out Monday night with two delegations appearing before town council expressing opposition to the genGrowth proposal.
One of the developers of the St. Joe wind farm says the project is still alive and well, despite a major delay in the start of construction. Work on the 300 megawatt project was scheduled to begin in spring.
A major wind energy project is being planned for the Bruce Peninsula, but it may be years before it proceeds, if at all.
PRENEAL Canada has signed an agreement with landowners on the Bruce Peninsula to option several thousand acres of land for the development of a wind farm that could produce up to 200 megawatts of electricity in the former Lindsay and Eastnor townships.
Massive wind turbine set to be installed on Grouse Mountain
June 26, 2009 by Larry Pynn in Vancouver Sun
June 26, 2009 by Larry Pynn in Vancouver Sun
The 65-metre main tower is coming from Anacortes, Wash. A Sikorsky S-64 helicopter has been chartered from Canadian Air-Crane of Delta to conduct the operation.
Situated at an elevation of 4,100 feet or 1,230 metres, the turbine is expected to meet 20 per cent of the ski resort's power needs. Tourists will be able to ride an elevator inside the tower to a viewing area 58 metres off the ground. ...Grouse Mountain's website notes birds could be at "high" risk in cloudy and foggy conditions.
Committee OKs wind farm motion; Council expected to defeat push for provincial moratorium
June 26, 2009 by Jake Rupert in The Ottawa Citizen
June 26, 2009 by Jake Rupert in The Ottawa Citizen
Rideau-Goulbourn Councillor Glenn Brooks is pushing for the moratorium because Prowind Canada is working on getting a wind farm approved in his ward, near North Gower. Some area residents aren't happy with it, including those who claim turbines make people sick.
Provincial government delays are threatening to scuttle a wind project on P.E.I.'s North Shore, says the company hoping to develop it.
Wayne Cousins, a dairy farmer, is one of the people behind the project. He got involved because he sees no future in food production.
The removal of the high-voltage power lines ended the community's two-year fight with Maritime Electric and the provincial government. The utility put up the lines to transport electricity for Suez International from its wind farm in West Cape. The electricity went to a substation, and most of it was exported to New England.
Costs increasing for Wainfleet wind farm project
June 16, 2009 by Matthew Van Dongen in The Standard
June 16, 2009 by Matthew Van Dongen in The Standard
In 2007, Niagara council voted to partner with St. Catharines-based Rankin Construction on a five-turbine, 10-megawatt wind farm in Wainfleet.
The joint project, supposed to be underway by 2010, was initially expected to cost about $25 million, with both parties putting up $4 million each and financing the remainder.
The turbines are coming from Germany, however, and changes in the exchange rate for euros have added an extra $3 million to the cost, according to a regional report.
The two solitudes of the wind energy debate were on display at Grey Highlands council Monday morning.
Grey Highlands council had multiple delegations concerning a wind energy project that is proposed for the municipality.
The first delegation was from AIM PowerGen - the company that has made an official application for a wind energy project in the municipality.
New wind farm rules won't hurt North Gower project
June 10, 2009 by Lee Greenberg in The Ottawa Citizen
June 10, 2009 by Lee Greenberg in The Ottawa Citizen
New rules forcing wind farms to keep their giant turbines at least half a kilometre from the nearest building will not affect a proposed local wind project, according to the firm behind it. ...The proposed new regulations also set 40 decibels as the target noise level at the nearest dwelling.
Gene Chartier, Scugog's commissioner of planning and public works, told councillors that there will probably be a public open house on the matter, but stressed most likely "none of the decision-making will be in (council's) hands."
Instead, he said, there may be a process "similar" to those held when the Township is notified of the need for a new telecommunications tower in the municipality.
Telell Waldhaus of Masset has fished Hecate Strait for crab for more than a decade. He's concerned the wind farm will harm stocks, and said "considering the extreme biodiversity of fish in this area, would you look at longer term studies and also different studies, like mid-water, surface.Would you prolong the assessment process to cover a longer period. Do you feel the studies that have been done are substantial and significant enough?"
The mayor of Lambton Shores isn't expecting any backlash from residents providing input on a proposed wind farm project in the area.
The five-turbine project spearheaded by Forest Wind Power Inc., is inviting comments from residents following the completion of an environmental screening assessment ...Towell, a resident of Dawn-Euphemia, is opposing a 35-turbine wind farm proposed for her township.
Protestors stormed the floor of the Plateau Wind Project Public Open House held at the Feversham Community Centre Monday night, demanding answers from representatives of AIM PowerGen Corporation (AIM) concerning the effects of the plan to construct wind turbines in the Grey Highlands.
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.
They go round and round, and when they're all madly twisting in the wind, the giant wind turbines on Wolfe Island will generate enough power to light up the entire city of Kingston, powered up in a truly "green" fashion.
Canadian Hydro Developers began commissioning the first of its 86 wind turbines last week. About 15 of the wind turbines have started turning and generating electricity.
Minister wades into dispute between Spitfire pilot, turbine firm
May 20, 2009 by Gary Rennie in The Windsor Star
May 20, 2009 by Gary Rennie in The Windsor Star
Ontario Environment Minister John Gerretsen has stepped into the controversy over a $30-million wind turbine project that threatens a rural Lakeshore airstrip owned by legendary Spitfire fighter pilot Jerry Billing.
Gerretsen has ordered wind farm developer Gengrowth to study "alternative locations for three turbines in light of the location of the airstrip in the study area."
Ontario Environment Minister John Gerretsen has stepped into the controversy over a $30-million wind turbine project that threatens a rural airstrip owned by legendary Spitfire fighter pilot Jerry Billing.
Gerretsen has ordered wind farm developer Gengrowth to study "alternative locations for three turbines in light of the location of the airstrip in the study area."