Port Hawkesbury Paper (PHP), a leading paper manufacturer, has taken another significant step in the development process for a 112-megawatt wind farm with the installation of two meteorological towers on the proposed project site in Guysborough County, Nova Scotia.
These two towers will collect vital wind data over the next twelve months. The collected data will serve to verify the wind resource over the project site and facilitate project design in terms of potential turbine distribution and arrangement, as initially proposed in December 2019.
Canada Infrastructure Bank (CIB), IFE Project Management Canada (IFE) , and PHP signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) formalizing their collaboration on the potential Pirate Harbour Wind Farm.
The MOU confirms CIB will conduct due diligence work with PHP and IFE during the project evaluation and planning phase. CIB’s work could lead to an investment in the project, subject to all standard due diligence and decision making. Positive results from the due diligence process could enable construction to begin in 2022, subject to all appropriate legislative and regulatory requirements.
When built, this project would be the largest wind farm in Nova Scotia.
The wind farm would supply green energy to Port Hawkesbury Paper, the largest industrial employer in the region, with the goal of further enhancing sustainable energy supply to local industry. It would also support provincial and federal commitments to the environment and the mill’s ongoing commitment to an environmentally sustainable business.
The towers are a critical piece of the due diligence process PHP has been working on in collaboration with CIB to determine the proposed wind farm’s financial viability.
“We are excited about the potential of this project to contribute to our mission to make Port Hawkesbury Paper the highest quality and most competitive producer of supercalendered paper in North America while at the same time being a great place to work, environmentally responsible and a strong contributor to the province of Nova Scotia,” states Ron Stern, president of Stern Partners.
PHP is the largest industrial employer in the region and the largest energy consumer on the Nova Scotia grid, representing 10 per cent of the province’s demands. Development of the project would further enhance sustainable energy supply to Nova Scotian industry while also supporting provincial and federal environmental commitments.
PHP is independently certified to the Forest Stewardship Council and the Sustainable Forestry Initiative.
Featured image from Port Hawkesbury Paper: One of two meteorological towers erected by Port Hawkesbury Paper to monitor wind for a potential 112-megawatt wind farm in Guysborough county.
