The Ontario Ministry of the Environment has issued its first renewable energy approvals for wind turbines, under the full scale process established by the 1 year old Green Energy and Green Economy Act. They authorize two small Class 2 wind projects, and one 20 MW Class 4 project in Camden, Ontario, EBR 011-1039.
Key conditions for the Kent Breeze (Camden) project include:
- requiring the applicant to submit a written report to the Director prior to construction of the turbines to verify that all locations of the turbines comply with Ontario Regulation 359/09.
- a mitigation measure to minimize impact to migratory birds, including restricting the operation of the turbines during periods of heavy fog.
- a detailed environmental effects and monitoring plan for birds and bats
- a traffic management plan and a road user’s agreement in conjunction with the municipality.
The Environmental Review Tribunal is braced for the anticipated wave of appeals, which must be launched within 15 days after an REA is posted on the EBR registry, and which must be completed within 6 months. We should therefore see the first appeals launched this week, and decided next spring.