Figure 1: Proposed Turbine Locations Figure 2: Proposed Transmission Line NOTICE OF FINAL PUBLIC MEETING To be held by Kerwood Wind, Inc. regarding a Proposal to Engage in a Renewable Energy Project Project Name: Adelaide Wind Energy Centre Project Location: Adelaide-Metcalfe and North Middlesex, Middlesex County, Ontario Dated at the Municipalities of Adelaide-Metcalfe and North Middlesex, Middlesex County this the 1st of August, 2012 Kerwood Wind, Inc., (a wholly owned subsidiary of NextEra Energy Canada, ULC) is planning to engage in a renewable energy project in respect of which the issuance of a renewable energy approval is required. The proposal to engage in the project and the project itself is subject to the provisions of the Environmental Protection Act (Act) Part V.0.1 and Ontario Regulation 359/09 (Regulation). This notice must be distributed in accordance with section 15 of the Regulation prior to an application being submitted and assessed for completeness by the Ministry of the Environment. The purpose of the meeting is to provide residents an opportunity to review and discuss the draft documentation related to the Project’s Renewable Energy Approval (REA). A public meeting will be held for the project on the following date and location (the original meeting dates of July 12 and August 13, 2012 were cancelled due to venue availability). Please note date and location change: DATE: August 14, 2012 TIME: 4:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. PLACE: Adelaide Metcalfe Municipal Hall, Lower Level 2340 Egremont Drive, Strathroy Please note that the meeting will be in an Open House format allowing attendees to visit any time during the event. Project Description: Pursuant to the Act and Regulation, the facility, in respect of which this project is to be engaged in, is a Class 4 Wind Facility. If approved, this facility would have a total maximum name plate capacity of 59.9-megawatts (MW). The proposed Project Location is described in Figures 1 and 2. Documents for Public Inspection: The Draft Project Description Report titled “Project Description Report – Adelaide Wind Energy Centre” describes the project as consisting of a maximum of 37 GE 1.62 MW turbines (although the REA is seeking approval for 38 turbine locations), a pad mounted transformer at each turbine, 2 transformer substations, a switchyard, underground electrical collection lines and an overhead transmission line, turbine access roads, an operations building, meteorological towers and construction staging areas. Kerwood Wind, Inc. has prepared the following draft supporting documents in order to comply with the requirements of the Act and Regulation: Project Description Report; Construction Plan Report; Design and Operations Report; Decommissioning Plan Report; Wind Turbine Specifications Report; Natural Heritage Assessment Report; Water Assessment and Water Body Report; Stage 1 and 2 Archaeological Assessment Reports; Heritage Assessment Report; and Noise Study Report. Written copies of these draft supporting documents have been available for public inspection since May 9, 2012 at www.NextEraEnergyCanada.com and at the Adelaide-Metcalfe, North Middlesex Municipal offices and Middlesex County office: Adelaide-Metcalfe Municipal Office North Middlesex Municipal Office Middlesex County 2340 Egremont Drive 229 Parkhill Main Street 399 Ridout Street North Strathroy, Ontario Parkhill, Ontario London, Ontario Written copies will also be available for review at the public open house. Comments received on or before August 18, 2012 will be included in our Public Consultation report to the Ministry of the Environment. Should you wish to provide comments after this date, they can be forwarded directly to the Ministry of the Environment. Project Contact and Information: To learn more about the project proposal, public meetings, or to communicate concerns please contact: Derek Dudek, Community Relations Consultant NextEra Energy Canada, ULC Phone: 1-877-257-7330 5500 North Service Road, Suite 205 E-mail: [email protected] Burlington, ON L7L 6W6 Figure 1: Proposed Turbine Locations Figure 2: Proposed Transmission Line Adelaide Wind Farm Community Newsletter Summer 2009 “It can be concluded that the overall advantages of the Adelaide Wind Farm Project outweigh Welcome any disadvantages and the project will create an environmentally and socially safe energy source that will contribute a significant amount of clean electricity to the Province of Ontario’s overall energy supply” - Conclusion of the Environmental Screening Report. r Open House - April 2009 Air Energy TCI (AET) has been working on the Adelaide Wind Farm since late 2006 when we completed preliminary site visits after responses to our advertisement looking for suitable sites in the Ontario Famer. Early in 2007, up-front meetings were held with landowners, planners and county and township representatives. Some agreements were put in place and Fine-tuning a presentation was made to the Adelaide-Metcalfe council The project will cost approximately $200 million in October. Two wind measurement masts were erected with the majority cost for the turbines themselves, however around $60 million will be in November and testing began. spent on construction and ancillary works, materials and equipment – a significant portion The following year, after successful wind results, option of this is normally sourced locally and will agreements were made with landowners and the provide an opportunity for local suppliers, merchants and builders. comprehensive environmental screening programme was begun. There is also the knock-on effect for hotels and restaurants in the area during the construction We have now completed two public zoning meetings and phase. With over 70 parcels of land involved in the project, many families in the area will receive held a second open house meeting in April 2009 (with a significant and welcome boost to farm positive feedback) and in June we submitted a Notice of incomes. Completion for the environmental screening report. Based on these studies we have designed a The project will also benefit the entire wind turbine layout which delivers the community through taxes and/or payments Our aim is to provide the Ontario Power Authority with a optimum amount of power to the grid with made directly to the township as part of a significant supply of clean, green electricity to help meet minimum impact on the community and the development agreement. This is currently renewable energy targets as set out by the Ontario environment. estimated to bring over $2 million into the community over the lifetime of the project. Government. A project of this scale will bring significant investment into the local community, creating The project is expected to generate 212 million We hope to have an electricity sales contract in place by between 150-200 jobs during construction kWh (kilowatt-hours) of electricity per year. With the end of 2009 and to begin construction by early 2011. and up to eight full-time jobs during operation the average household in Ontario using 12,000 and maintenance of the project. kWh per year, this is enough clean, green Mark Gallagher, Development Manager, AET energy to supply over 17,500 homes every year. Write to us at: The Adelaide Wind Farm Team, TCI Renewables, Suite 102, 381 Notre-Dame Ouest, Montreal QC. H2Y 1V2 “We see this as a welcome investment for local and area business” Shannon Churchill, General Manager, Strathroy and District Chamber of Commerce. Adelaide Wind Farm Q&A Shadow flicker is readily predicted using standard industry software and the study at Adelaide shows AET is seeking permission to build up to 40 wind no non-participating dwelling will exceed the turbines (72MW). Grid studies carried out by internationally recognized standards. Again, this Infrasound From Wind Turbines, Fact, Fiction or Deception: Dr G. Leventhall, issue is easily avoided by using appropriate siting Ontario’s Independent Electricity System Operator Canadian Acoustics, Vol 34 No.2, 2006 have shown this to be the maximum generation that techniques and set-backs. can be connected to the local existing 115kV network. There has been a lot of media attention and claims lately that wind farms cause health problems. It is true that some of the earlier wind farms had In reality, large scale wind farms have been negative impacts on local bird and bat populations. The site was selected because of its open operating successfully in Europe for almost 20 Nowadays however, developers undertake detailed landscape, low environmental sensitivity, good years and there are over 70,000 wind turbines studies to assess and mitigate potential impacts. infrastructure (roads and transmission lines) and installed across the world with relatively little Studies at the Adelaide site concluded that the area good wind resource. Middlesex County promotes complaint. In fact, with zero direct CO2 emissions, was not particularly sensitive. Any areas that did the development of renewable energy projects and wind energy is probably one the most benign forms show a higher potential for nesting or roosting were the Adelaide-Metcalfe township itself has of electricity generation in the world when one avoided. (The full report is available in the implemented a wind energy by-law. Finally, it was considers the health impacts and polluting side environmental screening report) clear that the majority of landowners in the target affects of fossil fuel or nuclear generation - a area were keen to be part of a wind project. conclusion supported by the World Health Organisation. This is often cited by anti-wind farm groups, www.euro.who.int/document/eehc/ebakdoc08.pdf however, the wealth of evidence shows that there Modern wind turbines are designed to minimise are no negative effects and in fact property prices noise and with appropriate set-backs will not cause After a number of projects were proposed for can even go up. A recent comprehensive study by a nuisance to nearby residences. Results from the Chatham-Kent, the municipality’s Director of Public the Renewable Energy Policy Project concluded: detailed noise study were very positive and by using Health, Dr.