December 1, 2013
Nova Scotia

Wind farm gets Environment OK

By BRUCE ERSKINE, BUSINESS REPORTER | The Chronicle Herald | November 29, 2013 | thechronicleherald.ca

The Gaetz Brook wind farm has been green-lighted by the provincial Environment Department.

“Following a review of the information provided by (the proponent), Natural Forces Wind Inc., and the information provided during the government and public consultation of the environmental assessment, I am satisfied that any adverse effects or significant environmental effects of the undertaking can be adequately mitigated through compliance with the attached term and conditions,” Environment Minister Randy Delorey wrote Nov. 15 to Natural Forces Wind president John Brereton.

Conditions include developing a program to monitor bats and birds, ensuring noise levels don’t exceed 40 decibels and forming a community liaison committee.

The 2.3-megawatt project, located nine kilometres east of Porters Lake, will have a single turbine located near an industrial park and Highway 107. It will be about one kilometre from the nearest home.

The firm plans to begin road construction to the site next week, Andy MacCallum, Natural Forces’ vice-president of development, said Friday. The turbine’s concrete foundation will be poured later in the winter and the turbine will be erected in the spring.

Meanwhile, Affinity Wind LP has registered its 3.2-megawatt, two-turbine Greenfield wind project in Colchester County for environmental assessment.

Project information can be found at bit.ly/1adZIXW. The deadline for comments on the project is Jan. 8.

Delorey will decide on or before Jan. 28 if the project can be granted conditional environmental assessment approval.

Both projects are being developed under the province’s Community Based Feed-In Tariffs program, which supports the development of local renewable energy projects by municipalities, First Nations, co-operatives, universities, community economic development investment funds and non-profit groups.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2013/12/01/wind-farm-gets-environment-ok/