Even though the Ontario government has lifted the moratorium on offshore wind development, one consultant predicts turbines won't be popping up in Lake Erie any time soon. Prior to AIM PowerGen starting to acquire options in 2001 to build what is now the Erie Shores Wind Farm, the company was looking at the possibility of commencing with an offshore development in Lake Erie between Elgin County and Long Point. AIM consultant Jim Wilgar explained the lakebed is already segmented and leased for natural gas development. At the time, AIM had identified sections that weren't leased yet and approached the ministry about the possibility of wind power development. "The ministry, at the time, hadn't given any real thought to wind power in any of the Great Lakes," Wilgar said. Around the same time, other developers were also looking at the possibility of offshore wind power generation. One such proposal was to build turbines in the Leamington area. "There was a tremendous public disagreement," Wilgar said of the Leamington proposal. "The ministry slapped a moratorium on any offshore wind development by anyone."

Established German wind energy companies see the nascent Quebec market as an opportunity to increase market share as well as work their way deep into the Americas, an industry networking session was told yesterday. Among the scores of companies - Canadian and international - that participated in Hydro-Québec's current call for tender of 2,000 megawatts of wind power was REpower Systems, a German-based giant that has yet to make its mark in Canada. "We see Canada as a premier wind market, one of the Top 10 globally within the not distant future," REpower's Matthias Schubert told a luncheon organized by the Canadian German Chamber of Industry and Commerce. And Quebec's call for tender - which closed in September - offered a "very interesting opportunity to start"

The provincial government of Ontario has lifted a ban enacted more than a year ago on offshore wind energy developments and will soon resume accepting applications for such proposals, the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources announced. "This government is committed to developing clean, renewable sources of energy so Ontarians will have a sustainable supply of power now and in the future," Natural Resources Minister Donna Cansfield said in a statement Jan. 17. "Offshore applications we've received to date will be processed, and we are preparing to accept new applications for both onshore and offshore developments."

Legal action by the Saugeen Ojibwa could derail or delay major energy projects in Bruce County, Saugeen lawyer Arthur Pape warned an Ontario Energy Board hearing this week. Before anyone starts building new power lines to the Bruce nuclear power development site, Saugeen representatives want the province to have separate talks with affected First Nations governments, Pape said. ...Without adequate consultation, Pape said his clients could well pursue court action to disallow results of the power system plan review. Such legal action "might very well result in the plan being neither economically prudent nor cost-effective," he told the board. Proposed nuclear and wind power developments raise "environmental risks" crucial to First Nations people, Pape argued. That federal action "undermined the credibility and the stability" of public safety protections, Pape said.

As Nova Scotia moves to harness wind power as never before, municipalities will soon have some help as they craft rules to regulate wind turbines. The Union of Nova Scotia Municipalities and the province have hired environmental consultants Jacques Whitford to look at the science around issues such as setbacks, noise and impacts on wildlife, and how other areas deal with turbines. The report is expected within two weeks. "We know there’s going to be a lot more wind development in this industry and we saw it as a way we could go out and give some assistance to municipalities as they go forward instead of them all duplicating the same process," said Jason Hollett, a program administrator with the Energy Department, which is helping to fund the project. The province has decided that between 18.5 and 20 per cent of Nova Scotia’s electricity must come from renewable energy sources by 2013.

Ontario is preparing to lift a controversial moratorium on the development of offshore wind projects in the Great Lakes that has been in place for nearly 14 months, the Toronto Star has learned. A Ministry of Natural Resources official says the department is "getting ready" to make an announcement and that new minister Donna Cansfield is "anxious to demonstrate leadership in the area." Jamie Rilett, a spokesperson in Cansfield's office, confirmed that the ministry is currently revisiting the moratorium. He said a decision would be made "shortly." Industry sources also confirmed the moratorium's end is imminent.

The expansion of Wind Rush Energy's initial 12- turbine Ashton Ridge wind project to a currently proposed 18 appears to be at the root of potential problems. The original 12 (in two phases of six turbines each) had been appropriately zoned by East Luther Grand Valley council following interviews with adjoining property owners. Although there was a public meeting about the expansion into a third and possibly fourth phase to be known as Grand Valley wind farm, as many as a dozen letters to the council are indicative of dissatisfaction over a lack of such personal contact for the expanded proposal. ...East Luther resident Susan Wilson, who favours renewable energy, says there has been either a lack of information or misleading information from both the township council and Wind Rush. For the Jan. 8 meeting, she had submitted a list of 30 questions, but not all were answered.

A petition has been formed by a group of concerned people who do not want wind turbines in Wentworth. Almost 100 signatures were gathered online as of Wednesday afternoon in protest of the proposed construction of an industrial wind power facility for Wentworth Valley. The Folly Lake-Wentworth Valley Environmental Preservation Society is calling on the provincial government to place a moratorium on the development of industrial wind power facilities until a comprehensive policy is in place and further study is done on the potential impacts industrial wind power plants can have on a region.

Manitoba Hydro received 84 submissions from various developers for locations in southern Manitoba. They have narrowed down their selection to 10, based on several criteria including the price of energy on a kilowatt per hour basis, meteorological wind research and ideal locations. "The best wind resource is able to produce electricity about 35 to 40 per cent of the time, so we are looking for locations in that range of specific wind speeds," said Glen Schneider, division manager of public affairs for Manitoba Hydro. "The success of whether a location is chosen depends on the quality of the wind resource if they are in an area which has strong, consistent winds." Manitoba Hydro expects to make a determination on the final proposals in late February or early March.

A bid to create Canada's largest wind farm has hit a snag. A tie vote Monday at Kingsville council defeated bylaws that would have allowed large-scale wind farms in rural areas in the town. Mayor Nelson Santos, who voted in favour of the bylaw changes, said he was disappointed and surprised. He expects the applicant, Brookfield Power, to appeal the decision to the Ontario Municipal Board. ...Brookfield Power is proposing 151 wind turbines in Kingsville and Lakeshore. If successful in its applications, the company has said it would build Canada's largest wind farm and construction could start in 2009.

A settlement has been reached in the long-standing dispute over the Cruickshank Wind Power project in Kincardine. Owners Kevin and Nancy Cruickshank have agreed to remove the sixth turbine located on their 300-acre property at the South end of the Municipality. The turbine in question was positioned too close to a neighbouring property not owned by the Cruickshanks. ...Now that the project is free and clear for construction, there is no word on when the Cruickshank Wind Project will get off the ground.

Mitchell made comments last week on FM 101.7 radio stating that the township is “dragging their feet” by not passing their wind turbine bylaw. She said “the township should move so the Kingsbridge II wind project can begin.” ...Van Diepenbeek said Mitchell should know that it is not the township “dragging their feet” but the Ministry of Environment (MOE). He said Mitchell was with council when they met the minister several months ago and they have been waiting for information since then so they could move forward.

Construction of Canada's biggest wind farm could start in Essex County in 2009 if all approvals fall into line, a company spokesman says. The $500-million Brookfield Power project is nearing the end of the environmental assessment approval process, and local planning approvals aren't that far behind. Brookfield operates what is now the country's largest wind farm just north of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. In an interview Friday, Ian Kerr, a Gatineau-based senior manager for Brookfield, said the Ontario Power Authority is scheduled to call for proposals on wind energy in mid-2008. Allowing three or four months for proposal preparation and approval, a construction start in 2009 is realistic, he said.

Kingsville council agreed Monday to allow large-scale wind farms and create a wind farm zone. Council held a public meeting Monday night on changing its official plan and zoning bylaws in the former Gosfield North and Gosfield South townships to permit wind energy on farmlands. About 20 people attended and no residents asked to speak at the meeting. ...In April, Toronto-based Brookfield Power applied to the town to allow wind turbines in the former Gosfield North and Gosfield South townships. The company is proposing up to 151 turbines over 22,000 acres in Kingsville and Lakeshore. It would be a 250- megawatt project.

A proposal to rezone an area of land in the Rural Municipality of Cartier, which may one day be the site of a new wind farm project, will be the subject of a public hearing next month. ...Rasmussen said there is a need for more public input before the bylaw receives third reading. "There is a misconception this wind farm is finally coming," he said on Nov. 13. "That's not true at all. There's a long way to go yet before anything is put up. Any company that wants to put up a wind farm, to get zoning, it has to go through a conditional use (permit) on every tower."

Any hope Canadian Hydro Developers Inc. might have had for an early start to the Melancthon II wind farm project appears to have been effectively dashed by a decision of the Ontario Municipal Board. OMB member Norman Jackson has generally decided conditionally in favour of the Melancthon II wind turbines planned for Amaranth Township, but has withheld his order pending a resolution of noise complaints at the transformer substation ...Beyond noise from the transformers, Mr. Jackson wants a continuation of the hearing at some point prior to issuing his order. The outstanding issues to be dealt with at that time include construction drawings, de-icing measures, a decommissioning agreement and an amenities agreement. ...Although the order has been withheld, the township during the hearings appeared fully in agreement with site-specific OP amendments for 22 turbines.

Contracts to build enough wind turbines to power 58,000 homes are expected to be inked by the end of the year, says Nova Scotia Power's top executive. Ralph Tedesco said it is entering final negotiations with six developers at eight different locations, including properties in Colchester, Cumberland and Pictou counties. The 20-year contracts are worth $1.5 billion and the construction is expected to be complete by the end of 2009. ..."We are nearly doubling the amount of green energy in Nova Scotia in the next six years," said Energy Minister Richard Hurlburt. "The Bay of Fundy may just be the best site for tidal power generated in all of North America." Tedesco said OpenHydro, an Ireland company, will be installing a marine turbine by 2009.

A public hearing at the Cape Breton Regional Municipality's Tuesday council meeting will be held to decide whether land near Lake Uist should be rezoned to allow a wind farm development. ...It'll use wind turbines to generate electricity during the day for sale in Nova Scotia or export to New England, when electricity prices are high due to demand.

Council quickly put a stop to a wind power company's proposed research tower in rural Meaford, at least for now. AIM Powergen Corporation's applications were much too vague for all but one councillor in the five-to-one vote Monday against amending several zoning bylaws. Approval would have allowed research towers throughout the municipality on any Rural A, A1 and A2 zoned agricultural land. ..."I don't think it's the pole itself, I think it's what it represents. I think what we're visualizing here is potentially now there's towers everywhere and all of a sudden we have wind farms everywhere," Reif said. "It appears that's not what they want. So if that's not what they want, I think they have to play it a little more open with us."

A group of "concerned residents" has outlined 35 points of concern. Among those are zoning issues that could be answered by the council or by the Ontario Municipal Board if the residents choose to take that route as several did in Amaranth. But the Provincial Policy Statement is clear on the point that wind turbines "shall be permitted on prime agricultural land." The group raises the issue of whether industrial or residential assessment is better for the township, although they don't couch it in those words but suggest that "the land-use for turbines (be limited to" 5% of the total land within (the municipality)." The group raises issues of freezing rain and of tornadoes.