A wind project in Nova Scotia landed a C$118-million federal loan to build 17 turbines, enough to power 40,000 average homes, after surviving an earlier court challenge.
Elemental Energy’s Higgins Mountain Wind Project [pdf] will generate 100 megawatts of electricity, cutting 200,000 tonnes of carbon emissions annually by replacing coal-fired energy, according to a September 25 media release from the Canada Infrastructure Bank (CIB). The funding is part of CIB’s $10-billion allocation for clean power priority sectors.
Located in an area with strong winds and nearby transmission infrastructure, the project is already under construction. The wind farm is expected to begin operating in 2025.
Elemental Energy is partnering with Stevens Wind and Sipekne’katik First Nation (SFN) to oversee design and construction. The project is expected to create 100 jobs during construction, with additional full-time positions available when operations begin. CIB said the plans include training and development opportunities for SFN and local contractors.
“This project will drive down energy costs, support the local economy, and create more jobs for Nova Scotians,” said Housing and Infrastructure Minister Sean Fraser L-Central Nova).
The CIB investment and project partnerships “will make an incredible impact,” Fraser added.
The Higgins Mountain Wind Project faced a court challenge from local environmental group Protect Wentworth Valley in June, 2023. The group claimed provincial Environment Minister Tim Halman’s approval of the project failed to “adequately consider” impacts on endangered mainland moose and the community’s use of the area for outdoor recreation and ecotourism, CBC News reported at the time.
But in January, the judge dismissed the challenge, saying that the regulations require that impacts noted in the environmental assessment “shall be” considered by the minister, who is neither obligated to act to address those impacts nor to meet the group’s standard of adequacy.
Halman approved the wind farm with conditions [pdf] that the project perform noise modelling and create plans to manage potential effects on water, erosion and wildlife, with a requirement to monitor mainland moose—and bats and birds—for at least two years. Protect Wentworth Valley argued the minister’s actions fell short of what was needed, but the judge concluded the group had not shown that Halman acted unreasonably, reported CBC News.
