One wind farm approved, two more proposed

The environment minister has approved the Goose Harbour Lake wind farm in Guysborough County, while two more have been submitted for approval.

Environment minister approves Goose Harbour Lake plan in Guysborough County

Frances Willick · CBC News · Posted: Mar 22, 2023 2:27 PM EDT | Last Updated: March 22, 2023

Wind turbines are shown looming above trees and homes. — The West Pubnico Point Wind Farm, pictured above, has 17 turbines. A new wind farm has just been approved in Guysborough County and two more are in the works in other parts of the province. (Andrew Vaughan/The Canadian Press)

Nova Scotia's environment minister has approved a new wind farm in Guysborough County and has received proposals for two others — one in Yarmouth County and one that crosses the boundary of Cumberland and Colchester counties.

On Monday, Environment Minister Tim Halman approved the Goose Harbour Lake wind farm project, which will see 29 turbines erected in Guysborough County between Lincolnville, N.S., and Mulgrave.

The project, owned by Port Hawkesbury Paper Wind, a sister company of Port Hawkesbury Paper, will produce an estimated 130.5 megawatts of electricity that will feed into the Nova Scotia Power transmission system and supply up to 40 per cent of the paper mill's electricity needs.

Halman's approval of the project comes with a series of conditions, including that the company file updated noise modelling and shadow flicker assessment, as well as management plans for water, erosion and wildlife. The company must also file a mortality monitoring plan for birds and bats, and a monitoring plan for mainland moose for at least two years.

Port Hawkesbury Paper Wind wants clearing work to begin this summer or fall, and construction work to start next year. The turbines could be spinning by the summer of 2025.

Higgins Mountain project

Meanwhile, environmental assessments for two more wind projects were filed March 15.

The Higgins Mountain wind farm project aims to build 17 turbines between the communities of Westchester Station, Wentworth Station and Londonderry.

The proponent is Higgins Mountain Wind Farm Limited Partnership — a partnership of Sipekne'katik First Nation, Elemental Energy Renewables Inc. and Stevens Wind Ltd.

A map shows the proposed locations of the wind turbines in the Higgins Mountain wind farm. — A map shows the proposed locations of the turbines in the Higgins Mountain wind farm, illustrated by green symbols. (Elemental Energy)

The turbines will be 195.5 metres tall and will each produce up to seven megawatts of power.

Construction is planned to begin this fall, with operations to begin in fall 2025 or early 2026.

Some residents have raised concerns about the Higgins Mountain proposal, saying it could affect outdoor economic development opportunities, biodiversity and community growth.

Wedgeport project

The same business partners are proposing another project under the auspices of Wedgeport Wind Farm GP Inc. that would see 13 turbines placed in Little River Harbour, south of Yarmouth.

The 200-metre turbines are expected to produce up to seven megawatts of electricity each. Construction is anticipated to begin in October, with operations starting in 2025.

Both projects are expected to operate for at least 35 years.

A wind farm was proposed for this area in 2012 but the proponent at the time decided not to continue.

A map shows the locations of the proposed wind turbines in the Wedgeport, N.S., area. — Yellow asterisks on the map show the locations of the proposed wind turbines in the Wedgeport, N.S., area. Pink asterisks show the proposed locations of turbines under a 2012 plan from a different company. That project never came to fruition. (McCallum Environmental Ltd.)

The Higgins Mountain and Wedgeport projects are two of five projects selected by the Nova Scotia government in a procurement process aimed at supplying the province with about 350 megawatts of renewable energy.

The procurement is part of a strategy to help the province reach its goal of having 80 per cent of its power needs met by renewable energy by 2030. Once up and running, the five projects are expected to meet 12 per cent of Nova Scotia's electricity needs.