October 18, 2007
Ontario
Ontario
A Kemptville company is proposing to bring wind-generated power to rural Ottawa.
Luke Geleynse of Terravis Wind Energy said the project is in its very early stages, but the company has signed a letter of intent with two rural property owners to lease the land necessary to build up to 10, 300-foot wind turbines on two separate pieces of land, Cornerview and Schouten farms, in North Gower.
He said he has already heard from neighbouring landowners who have expressed concern about the structures but Geleynse said the turbines would be set back far on both properties and would be unobtrusive.
“The closest they can be is half a kilometre,” he said. The turbines would also be built 200 metres from the nearest road.
Geleynse said turbine technology has changed rapidly over the years and modern turbines can harvest the energy produced by winds at a lower speed, which will reduce noise levels.
Before starting construction, Terravis wants to take a year to complete a wind resource assessment to ensure there is enough wind in the area to make the project viable and would also consult with the public. The company would also ensure wildlife in the surrounding area isn’t affected.
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT
“The earliest we would begin construction would be in 2009 and we would hope to complete construction in two to three months,” said Geleynse.
The company still needs to have an environmental assessment completed and requires planning approval from the City of Ottawa.
The power the turbines would produce would be sold to Hydro One for 11cents/kWh guaranteed for 20 years and would supply enough electricity for up to 5,000 homes.
In a letter to the city, Geleynse said “each 10-megawatt wind farm will offset a large amount of coal-fired power production, which has a positive effect on Ontario’s CO2 emissions.”
Any deal Terravis would negotiate would include handing over part of the revenue generated from the project to participating landowners.
There is also a financial benefit to the city, Geleynse said.
“The sites where the turbines are located will also provide additional tax revenue to the City of Ottawa,” he said.
Terravis is holding its first public information session at the North Gower community centre Oct. 25.
By Derek Puddicombe
City Hall Bureau
18 October 2007
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2007/10/18/kemptville-firm-floats-plan-to-build-rural-turbines/