200-megawatt wind farm proposed for northern N.B.
Moose Meadows wind project hosted a public information session Tuesday in Ugpi'ganjig First Nation, or Eel River Bar.
Proponents held open house this week, while waiting to obtain a purchase agreement from N.B. Power
The wind farm is proposed for a parcel of Crown land near Bois-Joli in northern New Brunswick.
The Moose Meadows wind project hosted a public information session this week in Ugpi'ganjig First Nation, or Eel River Bar.
The project would construct between 22 and 35 wind turbines on a parcel of Crown land, about 20 kilometres southeast of Bois-Joli, and produce up to 200 megawatts of power.
The proponents are Renewable Energy Systems, a company headquartered in the U.K. with an office in Montreal, and the Northern Energy Alliance, a partnership of the Restigouche, Acadian Peninsula and Chaleur regional service commissions as well as Ugpi'ganjig and Pabineau First Nations.
They're awaiting word from N.B. Power on whether it will approve a power-purchase agreement.
"We certainly want to turn greener in the region and help the region economically," said Betty-Anne Fortin, CEO of the Restigouche Regional Service Commission. "It's a new source of funding for communities and that's very important."
The proponents say the wind farm would generate enough power to supply approximately 40,000 homes.
Andrea Cosman, senior development manager with Renewable Energy Systems, said the open house was a chance to present the plan, communicate times and receive feedback from the public.
She said the final number of turbines remains to be determined.
“This depends on the turbine model that we end up choosing and the ultimate size of the project,” said Cosman.
‘The disadvantage would be the hunting’
Some residents that attended the open house expressed concerns for the environment.
“With all these machineries going back there and hauling the turbines back, and all the gas, and all the chemicals,” said Kyle Caplin.
“It's got to put us also in a bad state because we're gonna be less animals for us to hunt because it's going to push the animals away."
Kyle Caplin said he's worried about "the negative impact ... on our wildlife that all our Indigenous people rely on during the winter months."
Karen Narvie, a councillor with Ugpi'ganjig First Nation, believes the project could be an economic support in the community but echoed caution around the development in the environment.
"We had certain people in here today and they thought the disadvantage would be the hunting of our animals and the fishing that because of the windmills,” Narvie said.
“They're thinking that they won't reproduce or come back. We would like to see studies on to see, you know, what happens when they have the windmills and what happens to the animals and what happens to the wildlife.”
Karen Narvie said she would like to have more information about the impacts of the windmills to the wildlife.
Renewable Energy Systems said environmental studies are underway to determine the noise and environmental impact.
“Currently, the Moose Meadows wind project has not registered for an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). Wind projects greater than 3 Megawatts require an EIA registration and review,” said Jennifer MacNeil, the spokesperson of the Department of Environment and Local Government in an email statement.
“Proponents are required to engage with First Nations, stakeholders, and the public as part of the process.”
The project was well received by Barry Firlotte, a resident of Black Point.
“I think it will help our grid to supply the power for the province,” said Firlotte.
“The population] will benefit financially,” said Betty-Anne Fortin, CEO of the Restigouche Regional Service Commission.
“They'll be using local contractors and that will help create jobs during the construction phase.”
“It's good for the small town,” said Jean-Paul St-Pierre, who attended this information session.
St-Pierre worked on wind farm projects in Quebec in the past, including in St. Thomas, Murdoch Ville and Plateau Matapedia.
“The windmill technology on that is very, very high now,” he said.
Partnership proposal includes distributing profits
According to the steering committee of the Northern Energy Alliance, the construction costs could range from $550 million to $600 million.
Fortin said the funding “comes from the private sector.”
“They borrow from financial institutions and we partner with the company as a developer,” she said.
“But what helps to be able to get that money or that funding is to have that power-purchase agreement from N.B. Power.”
Renewable Energy Systems expects to receive a response from N.B. Power this fall.
CBC News requested a comment from N.B. Power regarding the timeline for a decision and the key factors influencing that decision.
Spokesperson Elizabeth Fraser-McAllister said the utility had no updates to share now. "Our evaluation remains ongoing."
The proponents hope to be through approvals and be operational by December 2029.
Any eventual profits would be shared with the partner municipalities and First Nations.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Honorine Ngountchoup
Reporter/Editor
Reporter Honorine Ngountchoup is eager to tell the stories of northern New Brunswick. Originally from Cameroon, she's now based in Campbellton but ready to explore communities and connect with people across the north. You can reach her at honorine.ngountchoup@cbc.ca.
