A new 9 megawatt windfarm is being proposed for an area straddling the boundary between Saugeen Shores and Arran-Elderslie.
Nextera Energy, the largest developer of wind power facilities in North America wants to put up six turbines in the area between the Saugeen River and Sideroad 10 north of Paisley.
The company has two other windfarms in Canada, one in Quebec, the other in Nova Scotia.
Councillor Victoria Serda is concerned about the possible health effects of wind turbines on nearby residents and wants to make sure setbacks distances from roads and buildings are enough to protect people from falling ice in the winter.
She says people have had to leave their homes in other areas where windfarms have been put up, and she wanted to make sure those issues are on Nextera’s radar during the planning process.
Serda, an activist deeply concerned about climate change and environmental issues says even with green energy projects, all of the angles and factors have to be examined when making a decision.
Project Manager Nicole Geneau says they’re following the discussion on the health issues very closely, and adds that they have never heard any complaints from residents in the 16 US states where Nextera has windfarms.
She says they have 82 hundred turbines in total and investing in communities is a reality they take seriously.
As for concerns over stray voltage–Geneau says they’ll work with Hydro One on the issue.
Vice Deputy Mayor Doug Gowanlock wants to be sure if more turbines go up, that they’ll be assessed at a fair value in order to ensure decent tax revenue.
He believes that low tax rates on wind turbines lead to local residents unfairly subsidizing electricity used by the more populated parts of Ontario.
Deputy Mayor Doug Freiburger isn’t enthusiastic about the project.
He’s still unhappy about the province’s new Green Energy and Economy Act, the law that now regulates the approval for all windfarms at the provincial, instead of municipal level.
Freiburger says the province has taken away the ability for municipalities and conservatation authorities to make effective decisions.
He’s also concerned that the new law doesn’t allow for a third party review of proposed projects, and that any review will be conducted by a provincially appointed panel instead.
Freiburger says wind energy should be located where it’s going to be used the most, like in the Greater Toronto Area. He says it’s better to locate it there, instead of outlying areas where it still has to be transmitted to the bulk of consumers.
Geneau says the area being considered for the so-called Paisley wind project is a study area, and the turbines would be located wherever it was felt to be most suitable.
She says Nextera would like to get construction started in the fall of 2010.
Nextera has also visited Arran-Elderslie council to share its plans and to get feedback.
The company plans to hold public information meetings on the project, no dates have yet been set.