NS Power seeking approval of Point Tupper wind farm investment

Nova Scotia Power signed a long-term contract with RESL in February 2008 to buy energy from a 22-megawatt wind farm to be built at Point Tupper. Under an agreement announced last month, RESL will continue to build and operate the wind farm while Nova Scotia Power will purchase 49% of the wind power project.

The Point Tupper Wind Farm will produce enough wind energy to serve about 6,000 Nova Scotia homes.

“We are very pleased to have this partnership with an experienced Nova Scotia company like RESL which has been producing wind energy in our province since 2005,” said Robin McAdam, Executive Vice President, Sustainability at Nova Scotia Power.

“Our agreement preserves an excellent project and also ensures that we maintain a long-term contract that will provide clean energy at the lowest possible cost to Nova Scotia Power customers."

Under the agreement with RESL, Nova Scotia Power proposes to buy six of the wind farm’s new 11 Enercon wind turbines. There is one existing turbine at Point Tupper. RESL will continue to own that wind turbine as well as five new wind turbines on the site, in addition to being responsible for construction and operation.

The agreement is structured to ensure that all energy from the Point Tupper Wind Farm will contribute toward achievement of provincial Renewable Energy Standards (RES).

RESL owns and operates turbines across Nova Scotia in the communities of Brookfield, Goodwood, Digby, Marshville and Richmond County. These turbines allow RESL to capture data in order to assess each area for further development. RESL also has two wind farms under development in Alberta.

Nova Scotia Power, an electricity service provider, has awarded contracts for 18.95 MW of electricity to be supplied from small, community-based renewable energy projects throughout Nova Scotia.

The six agreements are the result of a December 2008 request for proposals or RFP for small, renewable energy projects that would encourage community investment and development. The company said that the small renewables RFP process was designed to encourage small, community-based projects to become part of the province’s energy supply.

The RFP was reportedly open to all types of renewable generation from wind to solar. The six agreements announced are all for wind power. Criteria for evaluating each proposal included the proposed price of the electricity, the level of local community support and the strength of the proposed project, the company added.

Rob Bennett, president and CEO of Nova Scotia Power, said: "Nova Scotia Power is committed to incorporating more renewable energy into our generation mix. We are proud to be able to work with small community-based projects to bring more green energy to Nova Scotia and create new economic development opportunities in the province at an important time for our economy."

Watts Wind Energy Inc., a joint venture between Seaforth Engineering and Eon WindElectric Inc., has signed a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with Nova Scotia Power Inc.

Watts plans to install a single 1.5 MW Vensys V77 wind turbine at Watt Section, Nova Scotia. Seaforth Energy Inc. has been contracted to manage Watts Wind Energy, and Eon WindElectric, a wind farm installation and servicing firm, will be providing wind consulting and project management services.

www.nspower.ca/en/home/default.aspx