Antigonish County wind farm near mainland moose habitat seeks approval despite community petition

How would a wind farm, and the bigger roads that go with it, affect the mountain ecosystem?

A large wind farm proposed for Antigonish County is the latest project to encounter local opposition as the province pushes forward with its green energy plan.

Renewable Energy Systems Canada has registered its proposal for Eigg Mountain for a Class 1 environmental assessment.

The farm, which has a rated capacity to produce up to 154 megawatts, would be built on private land adjacent to the Eigg Mountain/James River Wilderness Area. The 22 turbines, each 199.5 metres tall to the tip of the blade, would be connected by 31.8 kilometres of gravel access roads. According to project registration documents, about 60 per cent of those roads already exist but would need improvements, and 12.9 kilometres of new roads would need to be constructed.

Including transmission routes, roads, turbine sites and other requirements, the proponents predict 312 hectares of land would be cleared.

“Eigg Mountain is a sensitive wilderness landscape that supports wildlife, including mainland moose, and is valued by the local community for recreation, quiet and connection to the land,” said Jeremy Landry, an area resident who is leading a campaign against the project.

“From my time spent on the land, it’s clear this area is still functioning as intact habitat. Wildlife movement, winter use and undisturbed forest are part of what makes Eigg Mountain unique. In my view, introducing permanent roads, widened access routes, and a long transmission corridor represents a decline in the ecological health and character of this place, not progress.”

While the project itself isn’t located within the Eigg Mountain-James River Wilderness Area, Landry notes that access to it would be adjacent to it and potentially through it, at points.

The group has over 300 signatures on a petition against the wind turbine project.

Renewable Energy Systems states in its project description that it has already altered the proposal to address concerns about impacts to wildlife and habitat.

“Careful site planning has been implemented to minimize habitat disturbance and to reduce habitat loss and fragmentation, use existing roads and areas that have been previously altered, such as clearcuts and harvested areas,” reads the description.

“Habitat modelling, field survey results and (Department of Natural Resources) guidance have been considered during project layout design. The iterative project design process has prioritized avoidance and minimization of interactions with important wildlife habitat such as wetlands and mature forest.”

The project claims community benefits, including:

$1.3 million in annual municipal tax revenue
$10,000 annual contribution to McDonald HM Elementary in Maryvale
200 jobs during construction
$1,000 per megawatt produced annually into a community administered fund

Public comments are being accepted by the Department of Environment until March 30, and Minister Timothy Halman is committed to issuing a decision on whether to allow the project by April 9.

Those opposed are up against a push by the provincial government to develop more wind farms, both to power the Nova Scotia effort to get off coal and, in some cases, for export. The Department of Environment and Climate Change has been steadily approving wind farms over recent years.

The Eigg Mountain wind farm has already been approved for the provincial government’s Green Choice Program, which allows large electricity consumers to selectively purchase up to 100 per cent of their power needs from renewable sources.

If approved, the company states it intends to begin clearing the site in November, with road construction beginning in the spring of 2027. The company aims to have the wind farm operational by 2028.