The last significant planning barrier to Canada's biggest wind energy project is expected to be removed in little more than a week. Brookfield Renewable Power hopes its $600-million commercial wind farm in Lakeshore and Kingsville will get underway early next year. County council expects to pass final changes to its alternative energy zoning regulations at its next meeting. The Ministry of Municipal Affairs is promising approval the day after.
The last significant planning barrier to Canada's biggest wind energy project is expected to be removed in little more than a week. Brookfield Renewable Power hopes its $600-million commercial wind farm in Lakeshore and Kingsville will get underway early next year. County council expects to pass final changes to its alternative energy zoning regulations at its next meeting. The Ministry of Municipal Affairs is promising approval the day after.
The last significant planning barrier to Canada's biggest wind energy project is expected to be removed in little more than a week.
Brookfield Renewable Power hopes its $600-million commercial wind farm in Lakeshore and Kingsville will get underway early next year.
County council expects to pass final changes to its alternative energy zoning regulations at its next meeting. The Ministry of Municipal Affairs is promising approval the day after.
Zoning amendments in Lakeshore and Kingsville permitting the Brookfield project can then get approval from the county.
Brookfield senior manager Ian Kerr said Monday the company still has two other hurdles before its 120-metre high turbines will sprout over 22,000 acres of eastern Essex …
... more [truncated due to possible copyright]The last significant planning barrier to Canada's biggest wind energy project is expected to be removed in little more than a week.
Brookfield Renewable Power hopes its $600-million commercial wind farm in Lakeshore and Kingsville will get underway early next year.
County council expects to pass final changes to its alternative energy zoning regulations at its next meeting. The Ministry of Municipal Affairs is promising approval the day after.
Zoning amendments in Lakeshore and Kingsville permitting the Brookfield project can then get approval from the county.
Brookfield senior manager Ian Kerr said Monday the company still has two other hurdles before its 120-metre high turbines will sprout over 22,000 acres of eastern Essex County.
The proposal for 148 turbines in Lakeshore and Kingsville needs a contract from the Ontario Power Authority and approval from Ontario Hydro to connect to the power grid, Kerr said.
Kerr said the OPA is expected to announce winners of the most recent request for proposals in early January.
With a contract in hand, construction would start in 2009, he said.
Given the time needed to construct the massive turbines, they won't go into the ground until 2010, Kerr said.
Tecumseh Mayor Gary McNamara says the county should also be leaning on the provincial government to demand that production of turbines occur in Ontario, and preferably here.
County administrator Brian Gregg said the Windsor-Essex County Development Commission is lobbying for a share of the production of turbines that is now done mostly overseas.
Kerr said Brookfield supports the effort to localize production of turbines, but says it's too late for their Essex County project. The length of time needed to manufacture the turbines means production contracts will be signed fairly soon, he said.
Brookfield operates Canada's biggest wind farm near Sault Ste. Marie. Murdochville in Quebec has the second biggest. Brookfield's Essex County project will have capacity to generate more power than either.
A full Ontario Municipal Board hearing that could derail the Brookfield project here now appears unlikely.
Citizens who have protested local wind projects in the last two years fearing potential noise, lower property values and visual impact say appeals to the OMB are pointless without municipal and county council support.
"The average citizen has no way to fight this," said Maureen Anderson of the Essex County Wind Action Group.
But she predicts: "All hell will break loose when those turbines go up."