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2. How much power will the project actually generate?
Brascan/SWEI has answered this question at its May 12, 2003 and July 20, 2003 public information meetings by way of a slide which stated that the “Blue Highlands Wind Park will supply the energy needs of the Town of the Blue Mountains [5,374 private residences], Grey Highlands [4,855 private residences], Clearview [5,546 private residences], Collingwood [8,515 private residences], Thornbury [1,130 private residences] and approximately half of Owen Sound [6,580 private residences]”…for a grand total of 32,000 private residences.
The Blue Highlands Citizens Coalition feels that the manner in which Brascan/SWEI has dealt with this issue is unfortunate. First, any implication that the power generated from the “Blue Highlands” project will be used in any particular location is incorrect. The generated power will be “stepped up” to a high voltage and will then be fed into the 115 kV high voltage transmission line which runs between Stayner and Meaford. No assurances are possible as to where the power will be consumed once it has subsequently been “stepped down” to a lower voltage before being fed into local distribution lines in whatever area in which the power is ultimately used. Second, the intermittent nature of wind as a power source means that no one (not even a landowner operating his/her own stand-alone wind power system) can count on wind to provide all of his/her electrical power requirements. Third, the information refers to an aggregate 32,000 private residence figure without providing any indication as to the power contribution of the proposed Blue Highlands wind power generating facility relative to aggregate Ontario power requirements.
The Blue Highlands Citizens Coalition has considered the latter issue very carefully. At our June 22, 2003 public information meeting, we presented our finding that, based on American Wind Energy Association statistics and figures published by the Ontario Energy Board, the proposed 100 MW “Blue Highlands” wind power generating facility will contribute less than one-fifth of one percent ( i.e. , less than 0.2% ) of Ontario 's annual power generating capacity.
The point in the preceding paragraph is not, of course, that because a particular wind power generating facility (like the proposed “Blue Highlands” facility) is only capable of producing a very small amount of Ontario 's total power requirements, it should not be supported. Adequate supplies of power are important to all Ontarians, including the residents of our community. We should all do our part in alleviating the power supply issues which Ontario faces. That is why the Blue Highlands Citizens Coalition supports the electricity conservation initiatives which the Ontario Government is current developing. It's also why we support the development of a regulatory framework which encourages power “self-sufficiency” in our community through the development of individual landowner and community cooperative “small wind” systems.
The point which we are making in highlighting the very small ( i.e. , less than 0.2%) power contribution which the proposed “Blue Highlands” wind power generating facility will make to Ontario's power generating capacity is that the relatively minor power output of the proposed “Blue Highlands” project is not sufficient to justify the risk of very material adverse impacts of the proposed project on our community, its residents, its ecosystems and its cherished landscape. We expect that our views would be quite different if the project was expected to generate, for example, 10% of Ontario 's annual power requirement. However, we feel very strongly that before we permit such a significant wind power development in such a sensitive area, we need to be giving very careful consideration to the magnitude of the expected benefits in comparison to the costs.
Copyright, The Blue Highlands Citizens Coalition, 2004. All rights reserved.