Company Proposes 250MW Wind Power Farm Near Prince George

Thursday, February 14, 2008 03:58 AM

David Speirs outlines the Environmental Assessment process needed for a proposed Wind Power Project

Prince George - A consulting company representing Wind farm company Fred Olsen Renewables Canada ,say they are undertaking an environmental review to see if a 50 to 75 wind mill farm producing about 250Mw of power can be built on George Mountain ,38 kilometers south east of Prince George.

Natural Power Company consultants , Nicole Tuzi of Vancouver and Donald Speirs from Scotland, told a gathering at UNBC that the habitat must be examined before you can proceed. Speirs said the manner in which you obtain a permit in British Columbia compared to Scotland is different by the environment standards, never the less must be met in both countries.

Speirs said the habitat to be looked at includes flora and fauna and covers birds, animals and the noise level.

"We are at the first phase of the design system" said Tuzi , "there are a lot of things to consider, for example Micro wave, air traffic, Agriculture , pipelines and other power projects and those people who use the area for outdoor recreation."

For example Speirs says "We don’t build wind towers near trees." Spiers says the project is planning for larger turbines " The company is looking at constructing turbines larger than those used in Scotland which average about 2.3 MW . We could reach 250 MW with larger turbines. "

The company has had discussions with BC Hydro but has no contract at this point while they undertake the environmental review.

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Posted on Thursday, February 14, 2008 03:58 AM in News by 250 News

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Comments

Posted by: thereasonableman on February 14 2008 6:27 AM

I thought Williston Lake was the windy spot. That's why they call it "Windy Point".

Good idea, if it pans out.

Posted by: RRrabbitt on February 14 2008 6:39 AM

No... actually Windy Point was the site of an old trapper's camp and small trading post... one of the best sellers was biscuits and beans... the beans were very musical... hence the name "Windy Point".

Goodtimes !!

Posted by: YamaDooPolCat on February 14 2008 8:12 AM

Well they still must be selling lots of beans in ChetWynd. Now that is a windy spot.

Posted by: realitysetsin on February 14 2008 8:49 AM

The best thing about wind farms is that the fuel is free!

The worst thing is that you can't count on sustained winds so you can only count on about 35% of that 250mw.

Having said that, I think it's closer to reality than the 'bioenergy' hype that would require our electrical rates to be AT LEAST $170 / mw hour, vs the current of about $60 for residential user.

Thankfully there is a Utilities Commission that is put in place to rationalize any drastic rises in energy costs. However the government can veto them, and has made rumblings of it. Expect 8-10% / year increases every year for about 5 years people.

Posted by: tiemens1 on February 14 2008 10:34 AM

I've read that these things do a lot of damage to the bird population.

Posted by: lostfaith on February 14 2008 11:14 AM

So do oil spills, planes, trains and automobiles.

Posted by: He speaks on February 14 2008 11:25 AM

Also disruption to the natural airflow, impacts climate. The wind enegry is used to turn the turbine, thus the wind past the windmill has less speed, causing a change in the climate.

Thus a couple of windmills does not have a big as an impact as a large string of windmills.

Posted by: realitysetsin on February 14 2008 11:59 AM

Just mount em on (insert politician name here) and you have a never ender supply of wind.

Posted by: rambleon on February 14 2008 1:12 PM

He speaks - "Thus a couple of windmills does not have a big as an impact as a large string of windmills."

How so? The windmill collects a certain amount of kinetic energy from the surrounding atmosphere and converts it to electricity. The number of mills used to produce a target amount of power will not change the impact of the removed energy. If anything, larger windmills would likely be less efficient in energy conversion than smaller ones.

Posted by: Junco on February 14 2008 1:15 PM

Fun Fact: The windiest street corner in PG is the corner of 3rd Ave and Victoria at the HSBC building. When the conditions are right (or wrong) The wind blows from the East and up that street to form a maelstrom
on the steps of the building. Don't believe me? Check it out. Batten down your comb-overs and cinch in any potential flight risks such as a good hat or unbound papers before you do though. You have been warned.

Posted by: YamaDooPolCat on February 15 2008 7:50 AM

Young Street in Toronto and 3rd and Vic. Hmmm .. both are financial power centers...

It must be where money gets turned back into wind again.