On a bright September day, a small group gathered at the foot of a tall white structure in rural Nova Scotia to witness a remarkable event unfolding 40 stories high. Engineers and technicians observed as their colleagues completed the installation of the final turbine blades at the Benjamins Mill Wind Project in Hants County. Andrea Bradshaw, the project’s construction manager from Natural Forces, expressed the significance of this milestone, acknowledging the substantial work remaining for mechanical and electrical completion.
The province of Nova Scotia anticipates over 300 megawatts of new onshore wind energy to be added by the completion of Benjamins Mill and three other projects by different developers. These projects, selected by the provincial government in 2022, aim to enhance renewable energy sources on the grid, aiding in the transition away from coal and achieving an 80% renewable energy target by 2030.
Originally scheduled for operation in 2024, Benjamins Mill faced delays, a common theme among the projects chosen in the 2022 procurement process. Despite setbacks, Benjamins Mill is expected to be the first project completed. Robert Apold of Natural Forces described these projects as pioneers in a new renewable energy procurement approach in Nova Scotia, citing challenges that needed resolving.
One significant delay stemmed from a prolonged system impact study conducted by Nova Scotia Power to assess the grid’s capacity for new energy generation. The utility’s report highlighted an increased demand for such studies due to recent onshore wind projects. Global supply chain disruptions, exacerbated by the pandemic, have also contributed to project delays, particularly in obtaining components linking the turbines to the grid.
In a subsequent renewable energy procurement, the government selected six additional wind projects to contribute 625 megawatts by 2028. However, only two projects secured power purchase agreements with Nova Scotia Power, reducing the expected energy addition. Nova Scotia Power plans for a third round of onshore wind procurement to achieve the energy targets by the end of the decade.
Nova Scotia Energy Minister Trevor Boudreau expressed confidence in the province’s progress towards the renewable energy goal, emphasizing flexibility in future procurement strategies. Boudreau highlighted the government’s commitment to overseeing energy procurement until the transition to the new independent energy system operator is complete.
