Saint John Energy Announces Company That Will Build $60-Million Wind Farm
SAINT JOHN – Saint John Energy has selected Halifax-based Natural Forces to build, own and operate a $60-million wind farm with up to 10 turbines in the Spruce Lake Industrial Park on the city’s west side.
The wind farm will generate up to 42 megawatts (MW) of electricity, supplying up to 16 per cent of the power on the grid that serve residents and businesses in the Saint John area.
Andy MacCallum, vice president of development for Natural Forces, says constructing wind farms like the Burchill Energy Project is the right decision for both the environment and the rate payers.
“Wind energy is the cheapest form of electricity now. That wasn’t the case 10 years ago,” said MacCallum at a public announcement Wednesday at the Hilton Hotel. “It’s amazing how fast the industry has developed. We’re looking forward to working with Saint John Energy. It’s a small, nimble, progressive utility. We’re really happy to be part of this project.”
Ryan Mitchell, vice president of Saint John Energy, says a recent survey of ratepayers showed people care about lowering costs and protecting the environment.
“Our customers told us they are concerned about the environment. They want Saint John Energy to keep rates low,” said Mitchell to a packed room at the Hilton. “Ninety-five per cent said they wanted [us] to pursue the development of renewable energy.”
MacCallum says the project will now undergo an environmental assessment and, in a few weeks, the company will host the first of many public sessions to gather community input.
“There will be lots of opportunity for the community and stakeholders to attend public information sessions and learn more about this project … and become part of this project.”
The Burchill project will create 100 construction jobs and be operational by 2021, says MacCallum.
He also says there will be an opportunity for New Brunswick residents to invest in the project itself through a community economic development corporation (CEDC). MacCallum says the wind farm could raise as much as $6-million in investment capital this way.
“This is something we’ve done in Nova Scotia for different wind farms we’ve built there. We raised $18-million from more than 1,200 investors. It’s been a huge success and community members and residents of the province love these types of investments. We’ve sold out every time we’ve had an offering on a wind farm through a CEDC.”
Natural Forces has offices in Quispamsis, Ireland and will soon open one in New York.
The company helped construct the first wind farm in New Brunswick in Kent Hills. It opened in 2008 and now has a generating capacity of 167 MW. Since then, they’ve partnered on several wind, solar and hydro projects in the Maritimes.
MacCallum says the company focuses on smaller-scale, community renewable projects with local equity partners – mainly universities, First Nations communities and municipalities.
The Spruce Lake wind farm is part of Saint John Energy’s strategy to introduce renewable energy to the grid, lowering costs for consumers and reducing the output of greenhouse gases at the same time.
The power company recently announced the purchase a utility-scale Tesla battery as part of the Smart Energy Project. The battery will become part of the storage network for the wind turbines.
“With the intermittent nature of renewables, it’s having the technology and the battery to capture that energy and have it there to use when we need it,” said Robinson.
“We are working to make Saint John one of the greenest and most affordable energy cities in Canada.”
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