December 21, 2006
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Independent power producers looking to give Nova Scotia Power Inc. an extra boost can start proposing renewable energy options in January.
The power company wants to supply 40,000 homes across the province with energy from sources such as wind, solar, hydro and biomass. The plan is to add 130 megawatts of renewable energy to transmission lines across the province by the end of 2009.
Interested vendors will be invited to outline their project and how they plan to connect to the grid, said NSPI spokeperson Glennie Langille.
“We suspect that most of that will be wind,” she said. “But we also expect to get some projects that would be biomass and small hydro.”
The process would be similar to steps taken in 2005 by Cape Breton Power Ltd. when it signed an agreement with NSPI to purchase enough energy from seven wind turbines to supply 6,000 homes. The wind farm is located next to the power company’s generating station in Lingan.
Cape Breton Power Ltd. finished setting up its turbines Wednesday, just in time for Nova Scotia Power’s second phase of renewable energy.
Luciano Lisi, chief financial officer at the wind farm, said knowing the company can compete for additional projects is welcome news. The island company will start to prepare its proposal as soon as technical information is released.
Lisi said a second wind farm on the island will be assessed.
Langille said the power company has tried to have a renewable energy project from one side of the province to the other.
“We’re in a place that has a pretty good wind resource,” she said. “The way to make that resource work the best, in terms of wind, is to have it right across the province. That way you can take best advantage. You’re looking for a nice spread over the province.”
By Tanya Collier MacDonald
Cape Breton Post
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2006/12/21/nova-scotia-power-turns-to-private-sector-to-supply-renewable-energy/