The Burchill Wind Project near Saint John, N.B., reached a milestone Friday when a turbine began to spin for the first time.
Construction of the 10-turbine wind farm is expected to be complete in the spring, supplying power back to the City of Saint John.
“To get the windfarm up and running, it’s huge, you know, this wind farm has been in development for a number of years now,” said Austen Hughes, vice-president of project finance for Natural Forces.
Natural Forces, an independent power producer, is a partial owner of the wind farm. Neqotkuk First Nation, formerly known as Tobique First Nation, is the majority owner.
The project’s timeline has experienced delays due to COVID-19 disruptions and supply chain issues, said Hughes.
In May 2022, a spokesperson for Saint John Energy said at least five turbines would be operational by Christmas. The second turbine is only expected to be turned on by the end of this week.
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Despite disruptions, Hughes estimated costs “wouldn’t have changed considerably.”
“(Delays) lead to a winter construction phase, or a construction build, which, it just takes longer it’s more complex due to the weather,” he told Global News in an interview Tuesday.
Once all 10 turbines are complete, achieving full commercial operation, a power purchase agreement will be triggered with Saint John Energy.
“It’s tough to say whether or not you’re directly connected into the green energy, but overall it will be 15 per cent of Saint John Energy’s requirements will be fed through the windfarm,” said Andrew Ahearn, manager of engineering for Saint John Energy.
In recent months, Saint John Energy has installed new power poles and lines to transfer the electricity back to the city. The Burchill Wind Project is approximately 15 kilometers outside Saint John.
While the nearing-completion of the project will reap benefits for the owners and the utility, customers will also be seeing rewards.
“We’ve secured basically a renewable energy source with good price in energy for the next 25 years, so it will definitely help the sustainable rates going into the future for our customers,” said Ahearn.
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