LOCATION/TYPE

NEWS HOME


[ exact phrase in "" • results by date ]

[ Google-powered • results by relevance ]

Archive
RSS

Add NWW headlines to your site (click here)

WHAT TO DO
when your community is targeted

Get weekly updates
RSS

RSS feeds and more

Keep Wind Watch online and independent!

Donate via Stripe

Donate via Paypal

Selected Documents

All Documents

Research Links

Alerts

Press Releases

FAQs

Campaign Material

Photos & Graphics

Videos

Allied Groups

Wind Watch is a registered educational charity, founded in 2005.

News Watch Home

Wind project on Sable Island over budget and at a standstill 13 years later 

Credit:  By: Aly Thomson, The Canadian Press | Thursday, Apr. 18, 2013 | www.brandonsun.com ~~

A wind power project on Sable Island off Nova Scotia is over budget and remains at a standstill more than a decade after the federal government launched the initiative.

Environment Canada began a pilot project in 2000 that was supposed to see five wind turbines generate energy onto the grid of the crescent-shaped sandbar known for its wild horses, sand dunes and fragile environment.

But 13 years later, the development has yet to bring electricity onto the island’s grid, is marred by cost overruns of more than $330,000 and its future is in doubt.

Parks Canada says it’s conducting a technical assessment of the power grid to determine the most cost-effective and environmentally friendly approach to generating energy on the 40-kilometre island.

Julie Tompa, project manager for the Sable Island National Park Reserve, said it’s possible the turbines could be scrapped, depending on the results of that assessment.

“Wind will be a primary source of power,” said Tompa. “But we require the outcomes of that assessment before we know exactly what that final system will look like.”

Tompa could not say when the assessment, which will focus on how to incorporate wind and solar energy on the island, was expected to be complete.

The wind towers are small – about 30 metres compared to the more typical 90-metre towers – and are designed to withstand harsh weather conditions, Parks Canada says.

But the turbines require modifications, as wind power has made significant advancements since the project was initiated, said Tompa.

“That system was designed to be primarily diesel generation supplemented by wind power,” she said. “We’re looking at options to bring the renewable power sources to the forefront as the primary power for the island with diesel backup.”

The project has faced a number of setbacks. The island’s remote location and severe weather conditions have been obstacles to getting the system up and running, and the need to protect sensitive species and ecosystems has also been a challenge, Parks Canada says.

The project had an original budget of $669,000, but Ottawa has so far spent about $1 million.

NDP environment critic Megan Leslie said she wasn’t concerned by the delays and cost overruns.

“We do need to have that kind of investment in experimentation,” Leslie said in an interview.

“Sometimes pilot projects not working are actually the best thing when it comes to learning and when it comes to figuring out the next step and innovating.”

Sable Island, which sits in the North Atlantic about 300 kilometres southeast of Halifax, is home to a weather station, two light stations, an airstrip and a few buildings used mainly by researchers.

Known as the graveyard of the Atlantic, it is home to about 400 wild horses whose ancestry traces back to some of the 223 ships known to have wrecked on its shores and hidden reefs since the mid-1700s.

The island’s grasslands, mud flats and sandy beaches support the world’s largest congregation of breeding grey seals and several species at risk, including the vulnerable Ipswich Savannah sparrow.

It is being transferred to Parks Canada from Environment Canada after it was designated a national park reserve in 2010.

Source:  By: Aly Thomson, The Canadian Press | Thursday, Apr. 18, 2013 | www.brandonsun.com

This article is the work of the source indicated. Any opinions expressed in it are not necessarily those of National Wind Watch.

The copyright of this article resides with the author or publisher indicated. As part of its noncommercial educational effort to present the environmental, social, scientific, and economic issues of large-scale wind power development to a global audience seeking such information, National Wind Watch endeavors to observe “fair use” as provided for in section 107 of U.S. Copyright Law and similar “fair dealing” provisions of the copyright laws of other nations. Send requests to excerpt, general inquiries, and comments via e-mail.

Wind Watch relies entirely
on User Contributions
   Donate via Stripe
(via Stripe)
Donate via Paypal
(via Paypal)

Share:

e-mail X FB LI M TG TS G Share


News Watch Home

Get the Facts
CONTACT DONATE PRIVACY ABOUT SEARCH
© National Wind Watch, Inc.
Use of copyrighted material adheres to Fair Use.
"Wind Watch" is a registered trademark.

 Follow:

Wind Watch on X Wind Watch on Facebook Wind Watch on Linked In

Wind Watch on Mastodon Wind Watch on Truth Social

Wind Watch on Gab Wind Watch on Bluesky