September 20, 2010
Ontario

Turbine project gets green light

By ROSS LEES, QMI AGENCY, www.thewhig.com 20 September 2010

PICTON – The Gilead Power Corp. wind turbine project at Ostrander Point is slated to go into construction in August 2011 and begin commercial operation prior to Christmas in 2011, according to president Paul Pede.

Pede announced the dates at last week’s Prince Edward Construction Association meeting, noting he felt there was little that could halt the project now.

Pede and Kevin Sorensen, Gilead’s manager of engineering, told the association the company had listened to public feedback and had responded by modifying the project, dropping the number of turbines to nine 2.5-megawatt turbines from the original 12.

During the five years spent in the environmental assessment process, Pede said the company had increased minimum setbacks to a receptor to 821metres, well above the minimum required provincial setback of 550 metres.

At the same time the number of turbines had been reduced, the turbines destined for erection at Ostrander Point will be larger than those originally contemplated by the company.

“Our turbines will have a slightly longer blade length and will have a slightly higher tower than the original towers we considered,” Pede told the association members.