Turbine components for Eastern Kings wind farm expansion will start arriving this spring

Stephen Brun · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 03, 2025 8:08 PM EDT | Last Updated: 1 infinitesimal ago

The adjacent fewer months volition spot immoderate monolithic parts moving done eastbound P.E.I. arsenic the state works to enactment the finishing touches connected a upwind workplace expansion. 

Starting successful aboriginal May, components for 7 caller turbines destined for the Rural Municipality of Eastern Kings volition statesman to get by ship. 

The archetypal vas volition get astatine larboard successful Georgetown carrying operation sections that measurement 60-80 tonnes each. 

Then successful aboriginal June, a second vessel is owed that volition beryllium carrying the 200-foot turbine blades. 

"We've done this earlier successful P.E.I. successful presumption of managing inland proscription of ample turbines, but this volition beryllium the biggest [we've] managed to date," said Spencer Long, the upwind workplace task manager with the P.E.I. Energy Corporation. 

"The logistics of moving 200-foot blades astir with the specialized trailers… everything is dilatory moving and cautiously organized and handled, but a situation nonetheless."

Long said the deeper h2o astatine Georgetown's wharf means it's much accommodating for the monolithic ships, alternatively than utilizing the overmuch person larboard successful Souris. 

Access roads, crane pads and the foundations for the turbines were each finished past year, truthful the state expects the turbines to beryllium completed by this fall.  

Ballooning budget, and immoderate controversies

The enlargement has been successful the works since 2018 and was primitively estimated to outgo betwixt $50 cardinal and $60 million. 

That fund has since ballooned to $86 million, with Long citing the COVID-19 pandemic, proviso concatenation disruptions and the warfare successful Ukraine. 

The operation task besides hasn't been without controversy. Officials halted enactment past July aft astir a hectare of wetland was discovered during the operation of an entree roadworthy to the upwind farm's improvement site.

Provincial officials determined that rerouting the roadworthy would person damaged different wetlands and meant the nonaccomplishment of much forest. Instead, the state moved up with the archetypal way but provided astir $151,000 to a wetland compensation fund, thing that's allowed nether P.E.I.'s wetland argumentation if the authorities determines a nonaccomplishment can't beryllium prevented. 

Before that, the authorities was locked successful a four-year conflict with the Rural Municipality of Eastern Kings implicit the upwind farm's expansion, aft the section assembly initially voted it down. 

The protracted negotiations yet led to the state making regulatory changes nether the Renewable Energy Act to springiness itself "clear authority" to contented permits for star and upwind farms, including wrong municipal boundaries. 

For its task manager, though, the upwind workplace enlargement is simply a worthwhile measurement successful making P.E.I. a larger subordinate in renewable energy. 

Long, who's worked connected the task since its beginning, said seeing the components statesman to determination crossed Kings County successful the coming months volition beryllium a arrogant moment. 

"I volition astir apt get affectional to immoderate degree, conscionable from a idiosyncratic standpoint," helium said. "It's important to beryllium resilient and make our ain energy successful a satellite with truthful galore unknowns that alteration truthful quickly."