QUEENS COUNTY – The federal government is committing more than $300 million in loans and tax credits for a Queens County wind farm that plans to sell power directly to consumers.
In an announcement Thursday, Feb. 26 at White Point Beach Resort, Gregor Robertson, minister of housing and infrastructure, and Tim Hodgson, minister of energy and natural resources, said Mersey River Wind will get a $206-million loan from the Canada Infrastructure Bank and qualify for up to $122.5 million in clean energy investment tax credits.
“A lot is changing right now. The world is an unstable place,” Robertson told about 100 local residents, businesspeople and representatives from all levels of government gathered for the announcement.
“We can’t rely on our partners to the south. We’ve got to invest in ourselves.”
The $500-million project will see 33 wind turbines built on 80 hectares of Crown land in Milton near the Mersey River. During construction, it will employ up to 200 people.
It’s the first project under Nova Scotia’s renewable-to-retail program, which allows green-energy producers to sell power directly to residential and commercial customers.
Customers will buy their electricity directly from Renewall Energy, which promises slightly lower and more predictable rates than Nova Scotia Power.
The Mersey River site will be capable of supplying electricity to up to 50,000 homes and divert 220,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions every year.
Renewall president Dan Roscoe said the project needed the support of the federal government and company partners Slate Asset Management and Hamilton Lane.
“The announcements today allowed us to purchase turbines and start the construction, which is already underway,” he said in an interview.
“We have 50 people on site already, building roads, in preparation for the turbines that’ll come this fall.”
He said he expects windmills to begin arriving in September, with the first turbines operational by the end of the year, and customers beginning to come online in 2027.
Roscoe said that Nova Scotia’s winds “perfectly align with our energy needs.”
“The coldest months of the year, when energy demand is highest, are also the windiest.”
He said he’s been an advocate of clean energy since he wrote a paper on it in junior high school 30 years ago.
“Today marks a turning point, not only how we power our lives, but how we think about our economy. This is about keeping more of our energy dollars at home, strengthening local communities and building an energy system that serves Nova Scotians first.”
Renewall already has contracts signed with 32 commercial customers, including some municipal governments like the Region of Queens, the Town of Bridgewater and Halifax Regional Municipality.
Roscoe said the company has also had a good response from homeowners wanting to sign up.
“This is just the beginning of a long journey, but it’s worth it, because it ends with a cleaner, brighter, more prosperous future for all Nova Scotians.”
White Point Beach Resort is one of those early customers. Owner Robert Risley said that having consistent power costs is a plus.
“It’s very important because the demands of power are going to increase,” he said.
“And so therefore, our power costs are also going to increase. And if we can make that a constant, predictable number, it certainly helps us planning for the future. … Plus, it’s just the right thing to do.”
Marcus Zwicker, chief operating officer of Renewall customer Freeman Lumber, said the company’s power costs are 20 per cent higher than their competitors in neighbouring New Brunswick.
“Everybody in this province is looking for ways to stabilize their energy source, so how do you make it so it’s more reliable? And they’re also looking at ways so that every year you know what your power is going to be for the next year. As compared to our competitors in the rest of Canada, we have very expensive power in Nova Scotia.”
Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston said the Mersey River Wind project is just one of many ways the province is trying to be more energy independent.
He pointed to the province’s proposed offshore wind development, Wind West, which also got funding Thursday from Natural Resources Canada. About $5 million will go to Net Zero Atlantic for research into Wind West and the Atlantic Energy Strategy.
“People are looking for a choice,” Houston said.
“They’re looking for competition in the market. So, a lot of the steps we’ve been taking, certainly as a government, have been building up to this moment, and it is very much the start now, because it will open doors and will open eyes, and it will open opportunity for others. The appetite is there. … This is a very, very significant moment for our province.”
The province is promising $700,000 in financial and in-kind support for the Mersey River Wind farm.
Renewall’s Roscoe said the company has big plans for renewable energy in Nova Scotia.
“Mersey will produce about five per cent of the province’s power in really rough terms. We expect that there’s more demand than that. So we have future projects under development that will come on in future years. And we hope every summer to be bringing new turbines online and be able to bring new customers over.”
For more information on the Mersey River Wind project, visit renewallenergy.ca.