AULAC, N.B. – The Tantramar Marsh between Amherst and Sackville may become a busy spot for wind energy.
With two wind farms proposed on the Nova Scotia side of the marsh, Acciona Energy announced Monday it has been selected by the New Brunswick government to construct a 64.5-megawatt wind farm in Aulac.
The Aulac wind farm is expected to be in service by November 2009 and will include 43 turbines that will provide 177,870 megawatt hours of power per year. This will be roughly enough power to meet the electricity needs of about 10,300 homes.
“As with Amherst, the wind resource is great in the Aulac area and the land owners are keen to support such a project,” project manager Todd Anderson said. “We have already signed up over 6,000 acres of land, which is pretty considerable. Also, NB Power was keen to get some more wind power generation in that part of the province.”
Acciona Energy and Saint John, N.B.-based Wind Dynamics, which is also a partner in the Aulac project, are also proposing to build a 30-megawatt wind power facility on the Nova Scotia side of the marsh just west of the Trans-Canada Highway. The project will include 20 turbines that will be 80-metres tall.
Anderson said both projects would operate independently of each other, but would also compliment each other.
“One will use the 1,159 transmission line and the other would use the 1,160 transmission line. They will operate separately,” Anderson said. “Ideally we’ll have both projects running on the marsh. We’re hoping to have something on (the Nova Scotia) one in a few weeks.”
The Aulac project, which is expected to create between 50 t0 75 jobs with a total investment of $125 million, is one three proposed for the marshes along the Nova Scotia and New Brunswick border.
Invenergy Canada announced last August its plans to erect up to 40 turbines on the Nova Scotia side of the border near Mount Whatley or at another location near the Missaquash River on the Converse Marsh.
By Darrell Cole
28 January 2008
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2008/01/29/aulac-chosen-for-wind-farm/