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Both sides of the wind farm issue present their views
to council By Liz Dadson |
Kincardine Council To Comment on this article Click Here |
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Both sides of the wind farm issue had a chance to present their views to Kincardine council last month. First off, was David Colling, a former dairy farmer who now tests for stray voltage at residences adjacent to industrial wind energy developments.
David Colling He told council that the low-frequency noise and electrical pollution are causing a lot of problems. Residents are unable to remain in their homes because they fall prey to electro-hypersensitivity. They can't sleep, they have headaches, earaches and a multitude of other ailments. "At one point, there were five families staying in hotels, paid for by the wind company, because they could not stay in their homes," said Colling. Four of those homes are now empty. He said the wind companies will say this is all nonsense. However, even the Grey-Bruce medical officer of health is calling for a study to be done before more wind farms are built in this area. Colling said wind companies can be compliant with all the rules laid out by the provincial government, but still the nearby residents will get sick. "It's similar to the ultraviolet rays from the sun," he said. "You can't see them, but you can feel the sunburn they cause." He urged council to get the information about electrical pollution, ensure lines are buried, and make sure the municipality has all the facts about decommissioning of wind turbines. Colling recommended council check the following websites for more information:
Councillor Maureen Couture said there is dirty electricity from energy efficient appliances but people don't get sick from having those in their home. "Most energy efficient appliances do not run all the time," said Colling. "Wind turbines are detrimental to people's health and we're now testing solar panels too. One turbine equals 200 solar panels." Councillor Ron Coristine said the whole issue is deeply troubling. "I'm reassured by the growing amount of knowledge about this issue. We shouldn't have to be electrical engineers to protect ourselves from this." "What can we do to protect dairy farms in Bruce County?" asked deputy mayor Anne Eadie. "If we don't stop wind farms, there will be no dairy farms left in this area," said Colling. Promoting wind farms A week later, council heard from Chuck Edey, president of Leader Resources Services Corp., a wind energy development company in Kincardine, with a staff of 25 who also live in the local communities.
Chuck Edey The company has several projects on the go, including one in Tiverton and one at North Bruce. The Tiverton project is a single turbine, said Edey, with a 2.5-megawatt capacity. The applicant is Quixote One Wind Energy, a privately-owned company of 10 local landowners. The turbine is to be built behind Jackson Construction in Inverhuron and should be under construction in late 2011. The North Bruce project would be 18 turbines (200-megawatts) on 12,000 acres in Kincardine and Saugeen Shores, north of the Enbridge project, said Edey. It was also prompted by a group of landowners, and construction is expected no earlier than 2013. Edey said the North Bruce project will bring $63,000 in building permits to the local municipalities and an annual tax levy of $52,000. It means $360,000 per year to local landowners who allow the turbines to be built on their properties. He said there is broad-based support for wind energy. "We have 400 landowners with land optioned, from Paisley to Grand Bend," he said. "We're just waiting for the Bruce-to-Milton transmission line to be built. The transmission capacity is what will determine the number of turbines built." As for decommissioning of turbines, Edey said that if the wind farm were abandoned, there is material value in the scrap metal of a turbine that far exceeds the cost to decommission it.
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Eadie said her concern is that companies outside the municipality come in and build the turbines, not Leader Resources. "We do all the layout and planning," said Edey, "and we do oversight during construction. All the design work is done here, by skilled staff from around the world. Eadie emphasized the need to bury the lines between the substation and the turbines so nearby residents are not affected by stray voltage. Edey said there are many obligations on the part of the developer to ensure the project is done right, according to the Renewable Energy Approvals process and the Green Energy Act. "There is a lot of scrutiny that a project goes through to ensure all the issues are addressed," he said. Coristine asked about the best practice for decommissioning the turbine and the 20 loads of cement and rebar in the ground. "We must have an approved decommissioning plan before construction," said Edey. "The best practice is to return the agricultural land back to the same state it was in before the turbine was built." However, he noted that while turbines are considered to have a lifespan of 20 years, the Bruce Nuclear site was also supposed to be done in 40 years and is now being refurbished. "A properly-sited wind turbine doesn't have to be done after 20 years," he said. Couture asked if, despite the Green Energy Act, would a wind farm proponent exceed the minimum setbacks for turbines, if council requested it? Edey said the guidelines stipulate a turbine must be located at least 540 metres from a non-participating landowner. As technology improves and the noise decreases, he expects that a turbine operating effectively would cause no issues even at a 200-metre distance. "The issue about setbacks is noise," he said. "People are sometimes annoyed by 30 decibels of noise and that's the level with nobody talking." He said his company has moved specific locations of turbines because it was asked to do so. "Do you own any property with turbines on it?" asked councillor Randy Roppel. "Yes," said Edey. "Does your company?" asked Roppel. "No," said Edey. Eadie stressed the need to bury the lines from the turbines to the substation. "Our contracts obligate us to have all wires buried underground," said Edey. "Under the roads and concessions too?" asked Eadie. Edey said that is dictated by Hydro One which is in charge of distribution of the electricity. "Hydro One is not going to bury the distribution lines," he said. "The wind companies could bury them," said Eadie. "It would be two-and-a-half times the cost to bury the distribution lines," said Edey. "We would have to take it under consideration." Edey noted that the Canadian Wind Energy Association (CanWEA) is embarking on a provincial education campaign to correct some of the misinformation in the public domain. "The campaign will help demonstrate public support of wind projects and dispel some of the myths," he said. "Ontario's regulations for wind farm developments are among the most stringent in the world and are designed to protect the health and safety of the public," he said. "The Ripley and Enbridge projects could not be built by today's standards." County wind standards Still discussing wind, Kincardine council is looking at developing its own wind energy guidelines. It made some comments on the application requirements laid out by Bruce County council. Eadie said she is willing to work on setting up guidelines for the Municipality of Kincardine, and to do it quickly because more wind companies are going to be locating soon in this area. Couture said the county requirement for a minimum distance of 1,750 metres from hamlets, inland lakeshore residential or estate residential, etc., is not going to fly with the Green Energy Act. "We're up against the provincial government on this," she said. "Wind companies do not have to comply with our guidelines. We need to get the Green Energy Act removed and get control back with the municipalities." Scrolling stops when you move your mouse inside the scroll area. You can click on the ads for more
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