The Provincial Government of Nova Scotia, Canada has announced five onshore wind projects that will provide renewable energy to the province for the next 25 years. The five wind projects have a combined capacity of 372 MW. These include the Ellershouse III Wind Farm in Hants County, which is being constructed by a partnership between Potentia Renewables and the Annapolis Valley First Nation, as well as the Benjamins Mill Wind Farm, which is near Falmouth. Elemental Energy’s Higgins Mountain Wind Farm and Sipekne’katik First Nation’s Wedgeport Wind Farm have also been chosen to supply power to Nova Scotia. The fifth project is the WEB Weavers Mountain Wind farm, developed by SWEB Development and the Glooscap First Nation, located near Marshy Hope.
According to CustomerFirst Renewables, the rate base procurement (RBP) portfolio for Nova Scotia will be close to 12 per cent of the province’s total power consumption. The five onshore projects are projected to be operational by the end of 2025 and are majority-owned by one or more of the Mi’kmaw communities in the province. With Nova Scotia Power, they will each have a 25-year power purchase agreement (PPA) in place. The RBP portfolio has an average energy rate of $40.97 per megawatt-hour, which is lower than the average cost of electricity in Nova Scotia.
Additionally, all projects in Nova Scotia are required to seek regulatory permissions, approvals, and an environmental assessment, which will involve consulting with the community. The Wskijnu’k Mtmo’taqnuow Agency (WMA), which represents all 13 Mi’kmaw communities in the province, owns the majority of the Benjamins Mill Wind Farm. The wind farm will be built by WMA and Natural Forces Development. The project, according to WMA President Crystal Nicholas, will power around 13,000 households, creating more than 370 jobs, and yield about $7 million in municipal taxes over the period of 25 years.
REGlobal’s Views: Renewables like solar and wind are becoming more cost-effective as oil and gas are witnessing a major price surge across the globe. Wind power makes up roughly 3.5 per cent of Canada’s electricity generation. It is expected to contribute more in the near future as the country moves ahead with its plans to generate 90 per cent of electricity from non-emitting sources by 2030.
