Tag Archives: NextEra

North Frontenac vows to appeal wind power project if approved

02 Wednesday Mar 2016

Posted by in Renewable energy, Wind power

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, , , , ,

North Frontenac tells Wynne government: we will appeal wind power project

Kingston Whig-Standard, February 29, 2016

By Elliot Ferguson

PLEVNA — North Frontenac Township is to appeal any large-scale wind energy project approved for the township.

Township council agreed on Friday that an appeal to the Environmental Review Tribunal would be pursued if either of the large wind energy projects proposed for the area are approved.

“We just had a general discussion and I asked council that if the wind turbine decision was in favour of the proponents, are we agreed that we would appeal it based on our position paper and our decisions made back in October?” Mayor Ron Higgins said. “They all agreed yes.”

NextEra Canada has proposed two projects for North Frontenac and neighbouring Addington Highlands Township. The Ontario government is expected to announce in the coming weeks which of the almost 120 proposed energy projects would be approved. The government is seeking to add up to 565 megawatts of renewable energy to the province’s electricity supply. Of that new energy, up to 300 megawatts is to come from new wind projects, 140 megawatts of new solar power, 50 megawatts of bioenergy and 75 megawatts of hydro electricity.

The NextEra projects include the 100-megawatt, 50-turbine Northpoint I in North Frontenac and the 200-megawatt, 100-turbine Northpoint II in Addington Highlands and North Frontenac. Seven of the 100 turbines proposed for the Northpoint II project are in North Frontenac, and the township provides the shortest, most affordable route to connect the project to the transmission lines.

In early June last year, citing public opposition, North Frontenac council unanimously voted to declare the township “not a willing host” for the proposed wind energy projects. The council voted not to provide municipal support to the project. Next door, Addington Highlands council voted to support the proposal.*

Higgins said the whole process of new energy procurement has been marked by secrecy and a lack of information being shared amongst involved parties.

“There was no collaboration from a number of different ministries within the Ontario provincial government,” Higgins said. “Everything came on us without any communication or collaboration whatsoever. We were kind of taken off guard.”

Higgins said he has asked four times to meet with Ontario Energy Minister Bob Chiarelli but has received no response …

Read the full story here.

*Web editor note: Addington Highlands council did vote to support the project but that was after a poll of taxpayers was conducted, with the results that 81% of residents did NOT support the power project. Council voted to support it anyway. See www.bearat.org for more details, including FOI documents.

Advertisement

Ontario Mayor accuses Ontario of extortion over wind farm deals

30 Thursday Jul 2015

Posted by in Renewable energy, Wind power

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , , , ,

wind turbines and lines

Developers offer money for councils to say yes; if the answer is no, no compensation

The process stinks, Warwick Mayor says

Petrolia Independent, July 29, 2015

Warwick Mayor Todd Case says the latest process to bid for wind energy projects amounts to extortion and his municipality won’t be part of it.

Four wind energy companies are in the process of bidding for industrial projects in Warwick, Brooke-Alvinston and Enniskillen. As part of the process, the companies are approaching municipalities to talk about what is going on and hoping to gain some form of support to improve their chances of approval.

Under the new process approved in June, companies receive bonus points for some forms of municipal approval. There is a form to say they have met with the municipal government which bears no points. If a company signs an Community Commitment Agreement with a municipality, it receives points which make the project more likely to be approved. Municipalities can also endorse projects; those projects are mostly likely to be approved.

Suncor Energy and NextEra, which are both preparing bids for projects in Warwick, are pressing the community to sign Community Commitment Agreements which include compensation for having the turbines in the community.

But Mayor Case says Warwick is not about to sign anything and shouldn’t be penalized financially because of it.

“The process, in my opinion, stinks,” he tells The Independent. “The province says it now gives municipalities a chance to weigh in but there are points for the companies if you sign (for compensation). That’s extortion in my point of view.”

Case says it is clear Warwick is not a willing host but because of the way the process is not structured, it can only get compensation for the projects if it helps the companies by signing the required forms making the project more likely.

“Wind turbine companies come in and say ‘sign on the dotted line if were approved you’ll get this huge amount of cash. If you don’t sign and we’re approved, you get nothing.”

So Case says Warwick is getting creative – and political – to point out the flaws in the new system. It’s had lawyers draft a letter which has been sent to the companies outlining what the municipality expects for compensation should the projects be approved. There is about $45,000 to reimburse the municipality for legal costs, $6,000 for every turbine they put up and flat fee of $200,000 among other things.

“They like to put things in front of us to sign…if you really want to talk the talk, walk the walk,” says Case. “We could sit back and do what were doing,…but let’s throw something back at these guys…this is what you’ll be paying if it’s approved against our wishes.

“If the process is going to disrespect our community we feel you should pay compensation anyway.”

So far, Case says one of the companies has refused to talk about the letter, the other has spoken to them but made no commitments.

The municipality is hoping to catch the province’s eye with the move hoping to change the process. “The Green Energy Act where everything is laid out and it’s mucked up.”

Case has asked for a meeting with the Energy Minister during the annual Association of Municipalities conference in mid-August. He’s just been told that won’t happen and he’ll be meeting with the parliamentary assistant instead.

“This is a big enough issue for rural Ontario right now, you’d think the minister would meet with us,” says Case. “We’ll take the meeting …but I’m totally disappointed of the total disrespect for rural Ontario.”

Deadline today in Addington Highlands vote

30 Tuesday Jun 2015

Posted by in Uncategorized

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, , , , , , , ,

Property owners in Addington Highlands are reminded that the deadline to register your opinion on the issue of the proposed wind power project by U.S.-based NextEra is midnight TONIGHT.

Have your property tax roll number at hand and go to www.addingtonhighlands.ca

Property in Addington Highlands? Read this ASAP

17 Wednesday Jun 2015

Posted by in Uncategorized

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , ,

June 17, 2015

Addington Highlands’ Council voted this week to survey residents on the proposed wind power development that could see 100 or more industrial-scale, or utility-scale wind turbines throughout the area.

If you own property in Addington Highlands, you are eligible to participate and should do so immediately.

Go to: http://www.addingtonhighlands.ca/

For general information on the wind power proposals in the Land O Lakes area, you may wish to join the email list at Bon Echo Area Residents Against Turbines at www.bearat.org

Community organizes to fight Land O’Lakes turbines

09 Tuesday Jun 2015

Posted by in Uncategorized

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , ,

Significant scenic area of Ontario could be affected

Residents of North Frontenac and Addington Highlands (also known as Land O’ Lakes area) have organized to fight the threatened 150-turbine wind power development by NextEra.

NextEra is the renewable energy arm of the U.S. power company, Florida Light and Power. As Parker Gallant has revealed in a post on this site, FPL is doing so well scooping up subsidy money here in Ontario, they have actually provided rate reductions to their customers in the United States.

See the website for the Bon Echo Area Residents Against Turbines here. The website is under construction and promises more detail later, but features a petition for signing now.

Citizens recently held a community meeting in Denbigh that included presentations by Parker Gallant and Carmen Krogh.

The group also has a Twitter account bearatorg and Facebook page.

 

Addington Highlands new target for U.S. wind power developer

10 Friday Apr 2015

Posted by in Uncategorized

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , ,

U.S.-based NextEra is proposing a wind power project for the Addington Highlands in Lennox& Addington (just north of Belleville, east of Bancroft) which could see as many as 150 giant wind turbines erected in the area.

A community meeting was held last evening in Denbigh; read a report on the meeting from Wind Concerns Ontario here.

Ontario Ministry of Environment fails to protect endangered species in West Grey

17 Tuesday Mar 2015

Posted by in Renewable energy, Wind power

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , , , , ,

 

The endangered Redside Dace: wildlife doesn’t matter when Big Wind comes along

(C) Metro Toronto Zoo

In an interesting juxtaposition of events, the Metro Toronto Zoo has a program to protect a little fish in Ontario, the endangered Redside Dace, by conserving its habitat in the Toronto area Rouge River, but the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, and the Ontario Ministry of the Environment are doing nothing whatever to protect the same fish in West Grey, where U.S.-based wind power developer NextEra is already at work on a wind power project.

The Ministry of the Environment actually has a taxpayer-funded “Recovery Strategy” for the little fish, which apparently doesn’t include standing up to a wind power developer.

But Ontario citizens are not letting this go: a West Grey community group called D.A.C.E.S. or, Dufferin Area Citizens for Endangered Species, are going to court this week to request a Judicial Review of the power project approval process which, they say, acknowledges the existence of the Endangered Species habitat, but which is allowing the power project to go ahead anyway.

Does legislation in Ontario mean nothing against Big Wind?

How can something that is (falsely) promoted as being “good” for the environment, be allowed to proceed when there is clear danger to the natural environment?

For more information on this project, on the court fight, and to donate to the struggle to protect Ontario’s environment against the Ministry of the Environment and Big Wind, go to: howgreenisthis.org

If you are in the area, or know someone who is, think about showing your support this Thursday morning: Brampton Courthouse, 7755 Hurontario Street, Brampton. Court begins at 10 a.m.

 

 

Are Ontario wind power subsidies keeping Florida bills low? (Yes)

24 Friday Oct 2014

Posted by in Uncategorized

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Ontario: keeping Florida’s fossil-fuel power bills low

Florida: plenty of natural gas-fired power. No wind
Florida: plenty of natural gas-fired power. No wind

Florida Power & Light Company (FPL), the largest subsidiary in NextEra Energy Inc’s portfolio with 4.7 million customers, is doing a fantastic job of keeping their rates low.  In fact they have had declining rates for a few years as noted in this post from one of their webpages:  “Bills Are Decreasing – Again!  Since 2009, FPL’s typical 1,000-kWh customer bill has decreased by 7 percent. And in January 2015, FPL expects to decrease the typical residential customer bill by nearly $2 a month.”

While the FPL customers can currently consume 1,000 kWh a month at an all-in price of 10.2 cents/kWh, rates in Ontario have been increasing at about 10% annually.   That 1,000 kWh purchased from Toronto Hydro will set you back $169.00 (65% higher) versus $102.00 from FPL.   The natural and first inclination is to believe that it is probably due to their sources of electricity and perhaps their efficiency levels; while the latter is probably true (they claim 8,900 employees versus the 20,000 plus we have in Ontario) their sources of electricity only include a passing nod at renewables and then only “solar” which seems reasonable in the Sunshine State!  The pie chart showing FPL’s “Fuel mix & purchased power” indicates at least 75% of electricity supplied to their ratepayers is fossil fuel-based.  Solar provides just over a half of 1%!

NextEra power sources: barely a nod to renewables in the U.S.
NextEra power sources: barely a nod to renewables in the U.S.

Look at the parent company, NextEra: it generates electricity from wind turbines where the company can find subsidies.  They rushed to Ontario to snap up at least six Ontario Power Authority (OPA) contracts with a rated capacity of just over 482 MW (megawatts).  A quick calculation of that rated capacity discloses Ontario’s ratepayers will pay a lot of money to NextEra over the next 20 years, which NextEra can use to either pay dividends to their shareholders, or allow some of the revenue used to keep rates low in the Sunshine State for Canadian “Snowbirds.”

The 482 MW of rated capacity should produce power at 29% of capacity, which means they should generate about 1.2 million MWh (megawatt hours).  The equation therefore is as follows:  482 MW @ 29% X 8760 hours in a year X $135 per MWh x 20 years = $3.2 billion.  That means revenue per FPL customer of about $35 per year. If only $2 finds its way to FPL’s customers, it will help to keep the rates down.

Ironically, Ontario’s Snowbirds pay much higher rates at home; no wonder Canadians own more property in Florida than citizens from the next five nationalities combined! Too bad their winter electricity bills will be waiting for them when they get back home.

©Parker Gallant

October 23, 2014

The views expressed are those of the author.

Reposted from Wind Concerns Ontario http://www.windconcernsontario.ca

Ontario to allow pollution of streams, rivers from wind farm: at-risk fish species in danger

31 Thursday Jul 2014

Posted by in Renewable energy, Wind power

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , ,

Ontario says OK for East Durham wind farm to kill at-risk fish

Embedded image permalink

Photo courtesy LSARC: devastation of landscape and erosion into streams from Northern Ontario wind farm construction

What’s a Redside Dace? Well, if you don’t know, don’t worry–it won’t matter for too much longer.

One of the principal points made by the Appellant in the recent appeal of the East Durham wind power project  by NextEra, was the damage that would be done by construction and the alteration of natural waterways. The prime witness testimony was:

[1]           He [Wren] also reviewed the 2004-2005 survey by Streams Ontario for the MNR.  In Dr. Wren’s opinion, the MOE “did not demonstrate due diligence in considering or evaluating sensitive fish and fish habitat in the project study area, with particular reference to the fish species Redside Dace”.

[2]           In Dr. Wren’s view, the sampling of the Saugeen River for Redside Dace was inadequate largely because too few samples were taken over too large an area.  It is his opinion that the MNR should have required the Approval Holder to conduct field investigations for Redside Dace in the Project Study Area to confirm their status.  He relied upon an email from the MNR to the Approval Holder’s ecologist which stated:

The absence of a species at risk occurrence does not mean that they are not present and as a result due diligence is still required … .  It should be noted that from a species at risk perspective this is an understudied area and as a result the MNR will be looking to ensure appropriate due diligence as it relates to field work was conducted to consider these species in further NHA reports for this site.

[3]           Dr. Wren’s opinion is that: “the Upper Saugeen Subwatershed contains an abundance of coldwater fisheries habitat that is unique in Southern Ontario.  Furthermore, the subwatershed is known to contain redside dace, an endangered species, which have a very specialized habitat.”

[4]           Dr. Wren also gave evidence about directional drilling and “fracking”, and soil erosion and sediment, and their likely effects on fish habitat and fish.  “Fracking” in this context is the accidental release of fluids toxic to fish that can occur during drilling to place transmission lines underground at water-crossings.  It is Dr. Wren’s view that a “frack out” could cause serious and irreversible harm to an endangered species such as the Redside Dace.

(Info on the Reside Dace here)

So, once again, the “overall benefit” of wind power supercedes damage to the environment, and to species of wildlife the Ontario government has already committed itself to protect? Ministry of the Environment lawyer Sylvia Davis, speaking in Toronto at the Ostrander Point appeal: “So a few animals get killed…”

The Minister of the Environment and Climate Change is Glen Murray, whose ministry is supposed to “ensure healthy communities, ecological protection…”

Reposted from Wind Concerns Ontario

It’s a bad time to be part of the environment in Ontario

06 Sunday Jan 2013

Posted by in Renewable energy, Wind power

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, , , , , , , ,

With the announcement of the approval of the nonsensical wind power project at Ostrander Point in Prince Edward County (Crown land, ought to be a conservation area, not a power project) and yesterday’s destruction of a six-year-old Bald Eagle nest to accommodate a wind power project near Port Dover in Ontario, it’s clear: it’s a bad time to be a bird or a bat or a human being living in rural Ontario.

Wind power profits are in, Nature is “out.”

And, with the Legislature prorogued, there is no public forum in which to decry these acts.

Take a look at the “optics” of the Bald Eagle nest removal: the approval was listed on the government website last Friday (an old trick, much used by this government, to make sure notice is served but at a time when nobody notices) and the removal HAD to take place this weekend. The explanation was that as the Bald Eagle nest was so near a turbine site, its removal would protect the birds. The tree, an ancient and rare Cottonwood, also had to come down, because it’s where an access road is to be built to construct the turbines.

The eagles will not be saved: that is their territory and they will nest elsewhere, and likely, eventually, be killed in the wind power project as so many raptors are near these projects. And, when you consider that raptors like this live as long as 20 years, what is also being killed is generation after generation of Bald Eagles that the dead one would have produced, had they been allowed to live.

It’s a bad time to be part of Nature; it must also be a pretty rough gig to be a public relations spin doctor for the wind companies and the provincial government.

We’re sad and disgusted at ottawawindconcerns@yahoo.ca

Pictures of the nest removal are available at Ontario Wind Resistance at: http://ontario-wind-resistance.org/2013/01/05/wind-turbine-company-nextera-mnr-destroy-bald-eagle-nest-habitat/

BaldEagleNestDestructionHaldimand