February 28, 2012
Nova Scotia

Scotian Windfields project gets nod

By JOANN ALBERSTAT Business Reporter, thechronicleherald.ca 27 February 2012

A Dartmouth wind developer has received the first of what it hopes will be many provincial approvals for community-based renewable energy projects.

On Tuesday, the Energy Department awarded Scotian WindFields Inc. a 1.99-megawatt large wind project in Wedgeport, Yarmouth County. The company is partnered with affiliate Scotian Wind Inc. and Toronto-based WEB Wind Energy North America, a subsidiary of an Austrian company.

The project was one of five Energy Minister Charlie Parker announced in Tatamagouche as part of the province’s community feed-in tariff program.

Dan Roscoe, chief operating officer of Scotian WindFields, said the Wedgeport project should be operational next year.

It is one of 19 projects the company has submitted on behalf of community economic development groupsacross the province.

“We’re very happy to have the first one across the finish line,” Roscoe said in an interview. “We very much hope it’s the first of many.”

ScotianWindFields has done survey and environmental work for the single-turbine Wedgeport project, located near Black Pond Road, and applied for development permits from the Municipality of the District of Argyle.

Other projects approved Tuesday include:

– A two-megawatt large wind project in Bayswater, near Chester, owned by Watts Wind Energy Inc., Brookfield Asset Management and Katalyst Wind

– A 0.9-megawatt large wind project in Cheticamp, owned by Celtic Current and Zutphen Wind

– A 4.6-megawatt large wind project on Lake Major Road in North Preston, owned by Halifax Water

– A 50-kilowatt small wind project at the Spiddle Hill wind farm, owned by the Colchester-Cumberland Wind Field Community Economic Development Corp.

The community feed-in tariff program encourages groups to develop renewable energy projects and supply electricity to Nova Scotia Power at fixed prices.

More than 20 groups have applied for more than 90 projects.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2012/02/28/scotian-windfields-project-gets-nod/