August 6, 2022
Newfoundland and Labrador

Port au port wind project needs more details, environmental impact statement, rules minister

(Andrew Vaughan/The Canadian Press) | 06/08/2022 | newswaali.com

A proposed wind energy project for the Port-au-Port Peninsula will require a little more legwork before government approval.

The company behind the proposed wind energy project on the Port au Port Peninsula must submit an Environmental Impact Statement and provide further details to the province’s Department of Environment and Climate Change before it is given the green light.

The controversial project envisages the construction of 164 wind turbines across the region and a hydrogen and ammonia plant in nearby Stephenville.

But Environment Secretary Bernard Davis wants to know more before giving the green light to the project.

In a media release issued Friday afternoon, which was Davis’ deadline for the decision, the department said Davis had briefed the project’s proponent, parent company World Energy GH2, of the expectations.

The company must confirm the final proposed locations of wind turbines, workers’ quarters, offices, explosives storage, access roads, power lines and substations, and their distance from and potential impact on nearby receptors.

All areas of the project that intersect with protected areas, private land, mining operations, mineral licenses and leases, recreational and traditional land uses need to be identified along with a possible redesign of the project.

In addition, the potential impacts on flora and fauna in the project area must be determined by:

  • A bat monitoring program covering the active season between April 15th and October 31st, obtaining complete information on spring migration, summer resident bat activity and autumn migration.
  • Targeted preparatory breeding surveys for night owls and short-eared owls.
  • A comprehensive survey for plants and lichens, including species listed in the NL Act on Endangered Species and the Act on Endangered Species.
  • Baseline surveys for moose, caribou and muskrat.

    • World Energy GH2 must also confirm the proposed primary and secondary water sources and hydrological modeling to determine any impacts on other local users. The Company must also provide basic geological information to support the proposed storage and sequestration of chemicals produced throughout the project lifecycle, including CO2 and ammonia.

    Appointed Evaluation Committee

    An Environmental Review Committee has been appointed to the record to provide scientific and technical advice to Davis and to provide guidance for World Energy GH2 in preparing the Environmental Impact Statement. The committee includes representatives from nine provincial and federal agencies, with the chair coming from the Department of Environment and Climate Change.

    The public now has more time to comment on the project. The government invites citizens to comment on the draft guidelines.

    Residents in the area remained divided over the pros and cons of the development earlier this week.

    Cape St. George Mayor Stella Cornect told CBC News at the time that her community was dying and needed an economic recovery.

    She said a civilian Port-au-Port project committee – made up of community councilors and members of the area’s local service districts – asked Davis to extend his decision deadline.

    URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2022/08/06/port-au-port-wind-project-needs-more-details-environmental-impact-statement-rules-minister/