Wind Power News: Newfoundland and Labrador
These news and opinion items are gathered by National Wind Watch to help keep readers informed about developments related to industrial wind energy. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of National Wind Watch. They are the products of and owned by the organizations or individuals noted and are shared here according to “fair use” and “fair dealing” provisions of copyright law.
Protesters granted a partial victory in fight against World Energy GH2’s activity on the Port au Port Peninsula
Judge grants request to adjourn hearing on continuing injunction against them in fight against World Energy GH2, but current injunction still stands. hat was to be a hearing on the continuation of an injunction against protesters at a World Energy GH2 test site in Mainland on the Port au Port Peninsula took a twist in the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador in Corner Brook on Friday, March 3. Three of the respondents, Sheila Hinks, Zita Hinks and Sylvia Benoit . . . Complete story »
Mi’kmaw chiefs look for mediator help to solve wind energy conflict
Five Mi’kmaw chiefs in southwestern Newfoundland are seeking Indigenous mediation to try and resolve conflicts that have arisen from the wind energy proposal for the Port au Port Peninsula. The five bands in southwestern Newfoundland, acting together as the Newfoundland Association of Rural Mi’kmaq Nations, or NARMN, also hope mediation might rebuild relationships within the communities that they say were damaged over the wind turbine project. Peggy White is chief of the Three Rivers Mi’kmaq Band located in the Bay . . . Complete story »
World Energy GH2 is applying for injunction after weeks of demonstrators blocking work site
The company behind a massive, multibillion-dollar green energy plan is asking Newfoundland and Labrador’s top court to stop protestors from blocking access to its work sites on the Port au Port Peninsula. Lawyers for World Energy GH2 were in Supreme Court in Corner Brook on Thursday afternoon for a hastily called hearing. A group of protesters has been blocking an access road to one of World Energy’s sites, on Newfoundland’s west coast, for weeks. The Crown land, near Mainland, has . . . Complete story »
RCMP investigating damaged equipment at wind power project job site
In a press release, the RCMP said it’s investigating damages to three pieces of heavy equipment at a World Energy GH2 job site in Mainland, on Newfoundland’s west coast. For about 2½ weeks, a group of protesters has blocked an access road to the wind power site in Mainland, saying they’re concerned about the community’s water supply. The RCMP says the damage occurred sometime on Monday or Tuesday, while the equipment was parked unattended on Forest Road in Mainland. RCMP . . . Complete story »
Protesters in Mainland block road to wind power test site over water supply fears
Crown land near Mainland has been identified as a site of a future meteorological evaluation tower designed to collect data and help determine the future viability of a development by wind power company World Energy GH2. But Mainland residents opposed to the construction of the tower say the road a contractor has cut to the area is creating problems with their supplemental water supply. “What’s coming down is not fit to drink,” said Zita Hinks. “We have an all-grade school . . . Complete story »
Tensions high on Port au Port Peninsula over wind-hydrogen megaproject
1st phase proposes 164 wind turbines in area the size of the City of St. John’s. Depending on who you talk to on the Port au Port Peninsula, the region is either on the brink of an economic transformation or walking an environmental tightrope. Forty-five per cent of residents in the area drew employment insurance in 2019. But a company formed just a few months ago, World Energy GH2, promises a revolutionary wind-hydrogen project it says will bring hundreds of . . . Complete story »
‘No need to rush’ on wind farm impact assessment, says environmental group
An environmental group on Newfoundland’s west coast says it supports a proposed wind-to-hydrogen project for the Port au Port Peninsula in principle but doesn’t want the impact assessment or consultation process rushed for what could be a precedent-setting project for the province. Katie Temple, the executive director of the Western Environment Centre of Newfoundland, said while the World Energy GH2 proposal could help reduce reduce fossil fuel dependence, the process seems to be “happening very quickly,” given the provincial moratorium . . . Complete story »
On eve of Canada’s green energy pact with Germany, N.L. wind farm project awaits approval
Tuesday’s high-profile signing of an agreement to sell Canadian-made hydrogen to Germany is intensifying the spotlight on a proposed wind-to-hydrogen development project in western Newfoundland. World Energy GH2 has proposed a wind farm and green hydrogen plant on Newfoundland’s west coast that could provide some of the renewable energy Germany needs, but it hasn’t been approved yet and must undergo an environmental assessment before it gets the green light. On the eve of the agreement’s signing – by Canadian Prime Minister . . . Complete story »
Appalachian Trail disappointed by plan to develop wind farm on west coast
The co-chair of the Appalachian Trail, which is the major proponent of the Aspiring Global Geopark for the Port au Port and Lewis Hills area, is disappointed with plans to develop wind farms in the area. Paul Wylezol says they’re nearly a decade into their efforts to get the UNESCO designation to highlight the local geology and ecology on a global scale. He fears the erection of hundreds of wind turbines will have a detrimental effect on their plans. Site . . . Complete story »
Timeline for massive N.L. wind project ‘extremely ambitious,’ consultant says
While a proposed wind-energy project for Newfoundland’s west coast hit a speed bump earlier in August, a flock of global leaders, from politicians to international CEOs, is in Stephenville on Tuesday to sign a hydrogen deal between Canada and Germany. The project, put together by umbrella company World Energy GH2, needs more details and an environmental impact statement before the government of Newfoundland and Labrador gives it the go-ahead. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will be . . . Complete story »
