New wind farm would bring 12 more turbines to Ellershouse area

A new wind farm could be coming to Hants County.

If approved, the project would see up to 12 turbines erected about five kilometres southwest ofEllershouse, N.S., with the blades expected to begin turning by 2025.

The project is pitched by Ellershouse 3 Wind Limited Partnership, which is comprised of the Annapolis Valley First Nation, Potentia Renewables Canada Holdings and Ellershouse 3 GP Inc.

The company submitted its environmental assessmentto the province on Tuesday.

The project is one of five that were selected by the province last yearto help reach the government's goal of meeting 80 per cent of Nova Scotia's power needs withrenewables by 2030.

Construction would begin next year

The new turbines, located just south of 10 existing wind turbines,would be up to 206.5 metres tall to the tip of the blade, and each would produce up to 5.9 megawatts of energy.

The company's environmental assessment concludes that the project would not have significant adverse effects once monitoring and mitigation measures are in place. Even when considered cumulatively with the existing 10 nearby turbines, the report says that potential impacts on bats, birds, visual esthetics, shadow flicker and sound would notbe significant.

The turbines and associated infrastructure, such as access roads, would be placed on private land that is currently used for forestry.

If the project is approved, construction would begin next year, with the expectation that the turbines would operate for at least 25 years.

The provincial environment minister will make a decision on the project by July 5. Comments from the public will be accepted until June 15.