Canada - Aulac soon to be home to new 43-turbine wind farm

The Tantramar winds will soon be blowing power into more than 10,000 homes. A 43-turbine wind farm is expected to be up and running in Aulac by November of next year, supplying enough power to meet the electricity needs of about 10,300 homes. New Brunswick’s Energy Minister Jack Keir made the announcement on Monday, the second in a series of wind energy projects expected to be announced for the province this winter. “It’s wonderful news for the Tantramar region,” said Keir from his Saint John office Monday afternoon. “Acciona Energy is going to construct a 64.5 megawatt wind farm up that way.”

Acciona Wind Energy Canada Inc., a subsidiary of Spanish-based Acciona Energia, will build, own and operate the 43-turbine operation in Aulac and will sell the energy to NB Power through a 25-year contract that is still being finalized. “It’s a pretty big project,” said Keir. “It’ll probably produce 50 to 75 jobs during construction and the total investment for the wind farm at Aulac is $125 million.” This is the second development for Acciona in New Brunswick. It was announced just last week that it would construct a 49.5 MW wind farm in Lameque.

Acciona has been working with Saint John-based Wind Dynamics to land the New Brunswick contracts. Both companies are also proposing to build a 30-megawatt wind power facility on the Nova Scotia side of the marsh just west of the Trans-Canada Highway. “As with Amherst, the wind resource is great in the Aulac area and the land owners are keen to support such a project,” said project manager Todd Anderson. “We have already signed up over 6,000 acres of land, which is pretty considerable.” Although Keir admitted he isn’t sure of the exact location of the where the wind farm will be situated, he said he expects it wouldn’t be in a largely residential area. “Because we’re still in the early stages of these (projects), the areas we are picking at this point are very rural in nature,” he said, noting his department is currently establishing guidelines to ensure residents are aware of both the pitfalls and opportunities offered by wind farms.

Keir said Aulac was likely chosen because of its valuable wind supply. He explained that a Université de Moncton professor developed a wind map several years ago, highlighting the windiest areas in the province which should be taken advantage of. Private investors have also done much of the same research. “We’ve got some wonderful wind resource in New Brunswick all down through our coastline and where they’re situated in Aulac is one of those locations,” he said.

Acciona is billed as a world leader in the renewable energy sector, with 172 wind farms in 12 countries. It also has its share of the mini-hydro, solar, biomass, bio-fuels and hydrogen markets. The Aulac wind farm, which is expected to be in service by Nov. 2009, will feature 43 turbines that will be built at one of Acciona’s wind power plants in Iowa.