AMHERST – Sprott Power is about to have some company on the marsh near Amherst.
The Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi’kmaq Chiefs, via Kwilmu’kw Maw-klusuaqun Negotiations office, received approval Tuesday for a wind project under the Community Feed-in Tariff Program. Benefits will be shared within the local community and Mi’kmaq communities throughout Nova Scotia.
The $18-million six-megawatt project will be developed by KMK in partnership with Wind4all Communities and represents 18-months of planning for the project that could be operational by later next year or early 2014.
“It has been a very long process and we’re very excited to be move moving forward,” Austen Hughes of Wind4all Communities said. “With the announcement we can really start to move the development work forward.”
Hughes said the project will include three turbines and be located at the end of the Fort Lawrence Road near the 31.5-megawatt Sprott Power project that went online earlier this year.
“This COMFIT approval from the Department of Energy not only speaks to the quality of our Amherst project but, more importantly, it speaks to the value and significance of our partnership with the KMK and Mi’kmaq,” said Hughes.
He said the company is working on getting environmental approval and has been working with the Municipality of Cumberland and the surrounding community. The project was submitted to the Department of Energy last September for approval.
“Through the Amherst project, the Mi’kmaq will become long-term and knowledgeable partners in the renewable energy sector,” said Chief Gerard Julian, co-chair of the Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi’kmaq Chiefs. “As project owners, we will be expanding our ability to continue to preserve Nova Scotian resources and protect the environment for generations to come.”
The province has supported the Mi’kmaq renewal energy project development by providing $200,000 to create a Mi’kmaq Renewable Energy Strategy and $2 million for a Mi’kmaq Major Resource and Energy Fund. Nova Scotia Mi’kmaq and the province will hold a renewable energy seminar on Nov. 21.
The 2010 Renewable Electricity Plan introduced the COMFIT concept to help provide a secure supply of clean energy at stable prices, build community support for renewable energy projects and create jobs.
“COMFIT offers Nova Scotia an opportunity to become a leader in renewable energy,” said Energy Minister Charlie Parker. “In addition, renewable energy projects such as this will help the province move away from dirty fossil fuels and towards our legislated goal of 40 per cent renewable energy by 2020.”
Eligible groups receive an established price per kilowatt hour for projects producing electricity from certain renewable resources. Projects can include wind, biomass, in-stream tidal and run-of-the-river hydroelectric developments. Eligible groups include municipalities, First Nations, co-operatives, universities and not-for-profit groups.
More than 25 community-based groups have submitted more than 100 locally based energy development projects. The province expects 100 megawatts to be producted through COMFIT.
