Another wind project is under consideration in our region. A Quebec based renewable energy company hopes to build a 200 megawatt (MW) wind farm 4 kilometres south of Sayward. Boralex has applied to the BC government for an investigative license to build the proposed Sitka Wind Project on crown land. 

This announcement comes only months after the revelation of another  proposed wind farm 40 km northwest of Campbell River. 

The Sayward site was chosen based on the anticipated wind resources, close proximity to Highway 19, the presence of existing and decommissioned forestry roads, and the distance to BC Hydro’s transmission system.

Assuming they are approved, Boralex’s next step will be to collect onsite wind data and initiate environmental and archaeological field work.

Once this is completed, they can apply for an Environmental Assessment Certificate and submit a proposal to a forthcoming BC Hydro ‘Call for Power.’

The BC government encourages companies to involve local First Nations, in this case the K’omoxs First Nation, during the early stages of their projects. 

There are elk, muledeer and mountain goats in the proposed area and Boralex’s Wildlife Guideline during the investigative phase includes statments like: 

• Stay at distances sufficient to prevent changes to the behaviour of animals
• Record wildlife encounters, actions taken, and responses of animals.
• Avoid known nesting/calving sites. 

In the ‘Sitka Investigative Plan’, Boralex proposes to erect 20 to 30 wind turbines with a total capacity of 200 MW. 

This is not the amount of electricity the project will produce. 

According to BKV Energy, “there’s no black-and-white answer to how much energy a wind turbine produces,” that depends upon factors like the location, local wind conditions and the turbine. However their article ‘How Much Energy Does a Wind Turbine Produce?’ uses ‘a standard capacity factor of 42%.’

Boralex has a track record stretching back to 1990 and has built 91 wind projects in Canada, France, and the United States. Their total installed capacity is  2.7 Gigawatts. 

Links of Interest: 

• Investigate Clean Energy – BC Government
• Sitka Investigative Plan
• Boralex website
• Articles about, or mentioning, Wind Energy
• Articles about, or mentioning, proposed wind projects in the SRD

Top image credit: Construction of a wind turbine in France (2021) – Photo by Jérémy-Günther-Heinz Jähnick via Wikimedia (CC BY-SA 3.0 FR)

Sign-up for Cortes Currents email-out:

To receive an emailed catalogue of articles on Cortes Currents, send a (blank) email to subscribe to your desired frequency:

Weekly Digest cortescurrents – cortescurrents-weekly+subscribe@cortes.groups.io

Daily, (articles posted during the last 24 hours) – cortescurrents-daily+subscribe@cortes.groups.io