NUTTBY - And so it grows ...
The first three sections of Nova Scotia Power's first wind turbine on Nuttby Mountain were put in place on Friday.
The final sections, along with the rotor and turbine blades, are set to go up early next week.
"Pretty exciting," project manager Debra McLellan said from the site as she watched the second tower section being slowly lowered into place by a 440 tonne crane, owned by A.W. Leil Cranes & Equipment Ltd., of Thorburn.
"It's nice to see the first one going up."
All 22 turbines – which stand 77 metres tall at the centre of the hub – are scheduled for completion by the end of December.
"We're pretty much on schedule," McLellan said.
Two teams will be working simultaneously to erect the turbines, she said, and when the teams both become fully operational, the towers are expected to go up at a rate of two per week.
But all the electrical components and other workings then still have to be connected and it will likely be about the end of September before the first turbine is operational.
"Which will be kind of cool," McLellan said.
Most of the 13 kilometres of roadwork connecting the turbines is nearing completion, which means more than 100,000 tonnes of gravel, which has been crushed on site, has been laid down.
In addition to the raising of the first turbine, another "really big milestone" will see the on-site substation being energized early Sunday morning.
That will result in a temporary power outage for Tatamagouche-area residents between 3 and 4 a.m. Sunday.
And, so far, 17 of the 22 turbine foundations have also been completed.
"So, that is really winding down as well," McLellan said.
When completed, the $120-million wind farm is designed to generate 45 megawatts of power annually – enough energy to power approximately 15,000 homes.
