Wind Power News: Quebec
These news and opinion items are gathered by National Wind Watch to help keep readers informed about developments related to industrial wind energy. They are the products of the organizations or individuals noted and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of National Wind Watch.
Les opposants espèrent toujours bloquer le parc éolien de Kinnear’s Mills
[Opponents still hope to block Kinnear's Mill wind energy facility.] Les opposants au parc éolien dans la région de Thetford Mines s’indignent de voir les travaux se poursuivre malgré les recours qu’ils ont intentés. Leur dossier est entre les mains de la Protectrice du citoyen. Ils ont par ailleurs demandé une nouvelle évaluation au Bureau d’audiences publiques sur l’environnement. Les opposants font valoir que le projet a été modifié depuis les audiences publiques. Le projet est passé de 78 à . . .
Consumer groups blast Hydro bid for rate hike
Surplus energy, including electricity generated by new wind farms, is a factor in Hydro-Québec’s bid for a 1.7-per-cent hike in rates for 2012, Quebec’s regulatory board heard Friday. But most of the proposed increase – 1.1 per cent – is related to a change in accounting standards, a move to International Financial Reporting Standards, the president of Hydro-Québec Distribution told the Régie de l’énergie. In 2012, 16 new energy projects are slated to be added to the domestic supply, president . . .
Wind turbine questions raised at International Water meeting
One of the more vocal opponents of the proposed Derby Line wind turbine project addressed the annual meeting of the International Water Company (IWC) recently in Stanstead. The IWC manages the drinking water supply of both Stanstead and Derby Line, Vermont, and is made up of elected officials from both sides of the border. Karen Jenne, who is the village clerk and treasurer of the Village of Derby Line, as well as a member of the five-person select board (i.e., . . .
Quebec to be awash in surplus electricity
The wind farms “were forced on Hydro-Québec” by the provincial government, which wanted to promote regional development and market sustainable development rather than meet energy needs, Pineau said.
Wind farm south of Montreal scrapped
A wind farm slated to be built south of Montreal has been cancelled after popular opposition and an unfavourable environmental review persuaded the provincial government to kill the plan. The wind farm near Saint-Valentin, 40 kilometres southeast of Montreal, would have had 25 turbines generating up to 50 megawatts of electricity — enough to power more than 30,000 homes at full generating capacity. But the community was starkly divided over the proposal, with some residents supporting wind power for its . . .
$300M wind farm gets nod in the Montérégie region
The Quebec government said Tuesday it has approved a $300-million project to plant a wind farm – with 44 towering windmills – on agricultural land in the Montérégie region, just south of Montreal. Each of the Enercon windmills will be equipped with a three-arm blade, reaching 139 metres into the sky. The power towers, which are to feed into the Hydro-Québec electricity distribution network for at least the next two decades, will be erected on the outskirts of Mercier, St. . . .
Highway 20 reopened after crash
MONTREAL— Transport Quebec has reopened two lanes on Highway 20 West after a transport truck hit an overpass late Wednesday evening. The truck was carrying an oversized load, with a type wind-turbine tower when it struck an overpass near Saint-Mathieu, in Montérégie. Authorities closed the highway around 2 a.m. and reopened one lane four hours later at 6:05 a.m., Transport Quebec spokesperson Daniel Desormeaux said. He said two lanes will remain opened for most of the day. The overpass is . . .
Critics rely on myths: Hydro
Hydro-Québec isn’t ignoring the alternative energy profiles of countries such as Germany, it just doesn’t much envy them, the utility’s CEO said on Thursday. Thierry Vandal used his speech to a Quebec Manufacturers and Exporters luncheon to rebut recent criticism directed at the world’s largest hydroelectric producer. “There is the myth of other countries such as Germany,” Vandal said. And much is made of Germany’s energy profile. “It’s impressive when you hear about it for the first time, but one . . .
Quebec plans $80-billion investment in northern development
Premier Jean Charest has unveiled an ambitious multibillion-dollar plan to develop Quebec’s remote northern region, creating a legacy project that he hopes will generate a new source of revenue for the cash-strapped province. The economic proposal, Plan Nord, involves a region north of the 49th parallel that is twice the size of France and covers more than 70 per cent of the province’s territory. The proposal involves $80-billion in public and private investment over the next 25 years, Mr. Charest . . .
Power cable project delayed
Regulatory delays have caused the developer of the $1.9 billion Champlain Hudson Power Express to push back its project schedule by nearly a year. The project entails burying a high-voltage direct current cable for 355 miles from the U.S.-Canada border to New York City. Company officials said that among the project’s benefits would be increased security of the electric grid and reduced energy costs for consumers. The power cables would be buried in waterways including Lake Champlain, the Champlain Canal . . .
