A wind energy project, which would see 40 to 50 new wind turbines installed between Wallaceburg and Chatham, continues to move forward.
The Renewable Energy Approval (REA) reports for the North Kent Wind project are now available to be reviewed by the public.
“We are proud to share all of the hard work that went into this application, and we invite you to review the” reports, officials with the North Kent Wind project stated in a newsletter.
Questions or comments can be submitted to the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change until March 18.
The REA process is a rigorous review to evaluate prospective renewable energy generation projects for possible environmental, social, cultural, and archeological impacts, the newsletter states.
The REA for phase one of the project was started in June, and was submitted back in December to the Ministry.
Chatham-Kent council gave a vote of confidence for the project in March last year.
“To date, the partnership of Samsung and Pattern has proved to be a very responsible, community-minded corporate citizen,” said Chatham-Kent Mayor Randy Hope. “We have every reason to believe that this new clean energy project will provide substantial revenues to offset taxes while building our economy and our community.”
Council voted in favour of supporting the construction and operation of Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the North Kent Wind Project, a project of Samsung Renewable Energy and Pattern Renewable Holdings Canada ULC.
The project is expected to provide clean renewable energy, substantial tax and permit revenues, and a community benefits fund.
Construction could start by the end of this year if everything falls into place, reports say.
For more information visit http://www.northkentwind.com/
Here is some more background about the project:
– North Kent 1 will result in approximately $500,000 in building permit fee revenue
– Provides $4 million to the Municipality of Chatham-Kent as a community benefit contribution
– Provides $150,000 for each road remediation project needed
– North Kent 2 Project will result in approximately $500,000 in building permit fee revenue
– Entegrus Transmission Inc. (90% owned by the Municipality of Chatham-Kent) will obtain exclusive maintenance contracts of approximately $300,000 per project per year
– Entegrus can purchase a 15% equity interest in the projects, with North Kent 1 providing the municipality with $4.9 million in dividends, and North Kent 2 providing an additional $2.5 million, all over 20 years
– North Kent 1 & 2 will provide approximately $250,000 per year in property tax revenue
North Kent 1 would place approximately 40 to 50 wind turbines on private lands in both of the former Dover and Chatham Townships.
It is subject to the Province of Ontario’s Renewable Energy Approval process, which requires a detailed and multi-faceted public consultation with municipal government, First Nations, local residents and businesses.
The second project, North Kent 2, depends upon a contract award by the Ontario Independent Electricity System Operator and would place 20 and 40 turbines on private lands in, or near, the former Dover Township. North Kent 1&2 are subject to the provincial permitting and regulatory requirements that regulate industrial wind projects in Ontario.
In 2012 and 2013, Samsung and Pattern completed construction of a 270 megawatt South Kent Wind facility near Blenheim.
They provided $2.5 million for upgrades to the Chatham-Kent Municipal Airport plus community benefits of $11.5 million over the life of the facility.
In addition, the facility will also generate approximately $16 million in property taxes over a 20 year period.
