Nova Scotia Power awards community wind projects with contracts for 19MW
CANADA: Nova Scotia Power has awarded contracts for 19MW of electricity to be supplied from small, community-based wind projects throughout the Atlantic province.
The government-owed utility has signed contracts for 10 projects to be built by six independent power producers.
One of the winning bidders is the Colchester-Cumberland Wind Field Inc., a community economic development corporation planning to install an Enercon 800KW on a site 10 kilometres from the town of Tatamagouche in northern Nova Scotia. It expects the project to be in service by July 2011.
Colchester-Cumberland Wind Field’s president Davis Swann said: "The Spiddle Hill wind turbine represents our community’s commitment to renewable energy. We see this project as the beginning of a greener energy future for our region."
Colchester-Cumberland Wind Field, which has been working on the project for three years, currently has 70 local shareholders and a volunteer board of nine.
"We’re opening it up to community for further ownership and any debt financing we’re planning to do will be done with our local bank or privately with local folks," Swann added.
The projects were selected through a request for proposals launched in December 2008 and are scheduled to be on line by July 2012, although utility spokesman Jennifer Parker said some may be finished as early as this year.
Financial and contract details were not disclosed. The utility received proposals for 20 projects representing a range of renewable energy technologies and totalling 41 MW of capacity.
