Have any questions or concerns about the Wedgeport Windfarm Development Agreement?
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What is this development agreement?
The Development Agreement is a legal document between parties that outline the conditions upon which Council shall approve a development. The development agreement shall seek to address the issues that the community members have raised around the proposed wind turbine project.
These issues include:
- Shadow Flicker – best described as the potential shadow that a turbine blade may create if it turns against direct sunlight. This has caused nuisances to residents in past wind farms.
- Noise – Noise can be created through the blade rotation and also grinding coming from the ‘engine’. Both the development agreement and the environmental assessment states that Elemental Energy must keep the noise to a level of 40 decibels. Distance from a non-seasonal home must be at least 1000 meters.
- Property values – residents expressed concerns that property values would drop as a consequence of wind turbine erection.
- Not just Wedgeport Wind – residents expressed concerns that the farm impacts three communities directly, not simply one. Comeau’s Hill and Little River shall be mentioned in this development.
- Community benefits – Elemental Energy shall outline how the communities will benefit from this development, including donations to major non-profit organizations that seek to improve the communities. Equality of treatment of communities was mentioned as very important.
Elemental Energy has partnered with a local First Nation organization as part of their provincial application and received approval to enter a Power Purchase Agreement with NS Power in August 2022.
For more information on this windfarm, visit Elemental Energy's project website at www.wedgeportwind.ca
What about the environmental impact?
The Province approved an environmental assessment of the development in May 2023. This type of assessment measures issues such as wildlife protection and management, noise restrictions, shadow flicker, turbine deconstruction and site reclamation at the end of the project, etc.
The link to the decision may be found here https://novascotia.ca/nse/ea/wedgeport-wind-farm-project/
Relevant Documents:
- Visual Quality Report - Download
- Project Layout and Assessment Area - Download
- WSP Development Agreement Presentation (December 7, 2023) - Download
Timeline of Events
- December 7, 2023 - 6:30PM - Public Participation Meeting
- December 12, 2023 - 4:30PM - Planning Advisory Committee
- December 14, 2023 - 6:30 PM - Regular Council Meeting (First Reading of Development Agreement)
- January 9, 2024 - 6:00 PM - Information Session (Wedgeport Fire Hall)
- January 18, 2024 - 6:30 PM - Public Hearing (5 J.E. Hatfield Court, Tusket)
- January 25, 2024 - 6:30 PM - Executive Council Meeting (Second Reading of Development Agreement)