Council leery of wind farm proposal
Posted By Jon Radojkovic
Posted 7 months ago
A global wind energy company with a subsidiary in Burlington is conducting two wind studies in Arran-Elderslie and council does not think either location is good or the 120-metre towers.
“We should let them know we don’t want them,” said Coun. Mark Davis.
NextEra Energy Resources is proposing to erect six windmills at each location, one just north and east of Paisley and the other east and south of Tara, creating 9 megawatts of power at each site. Each would be on land Davis called “some of the best farmland around.”
NextEra has built more than 8,000 wind turbines across North America.
Chief administrative officer/ clerk AP Crawford noted that NextEra wanted to have a meeting with staff only but council demanded that they come to a full council meeting on Aug. 10 at 9 a.m. The public is welcome to come and hear what NextEra has planned.
“I have had some very upset residents call me about this. I say we want to fight this,” said Mayor Ron Oswald.
Provincial legislation allows wind power development in most areas of Ontario, with a few exceptions such as for environmental reasons.
Council was trying to come up with ways to block the proposal.
Although each wind tower and mill costs $2 to $3 million, they can only be assessed at less than $50,000, according to Coun. Ross Herron. He thinks they should be assessed at full value so that “those people who have to look at them at least get some satisfaction from higher revenues the municipality would receive.”
NextEra would need to make a private deal with six landowners at each location. Some councillor pointed out that people who sign contracts with wind energy companies don’t realize what they are getting into. Herron said things like tile drains on farmers fields have to go under roads leading to the towers and that electrical currents produced are affecting livestock.
But Coun. Paul Eagleson admitted there wasn’t a lot council could do with the wind energy companies, but that their fight should be with the province. “The Green Energy Act has already slipped by and we don’t have control anymore,” Eagleson said.
