Port Hawkesbury Paper breaks ground on $400M Guysborough County wind farm

Port Hawkesbury Paper is pouring $400 million into the construction of a wind farm in Nova Scotia's Guysborough County that is targeted to supply 60 per cent of the paper mill's current power needs.

The Point Tupper papermaker's sister company, Port Hawkesbury Paper Wind, officially broke ground on the Goose Harbour Lake Wind Farm in late August. It intends to launch up to 31 wind turbines, with the intent of delivering 130.5 megawatts of power from Crown land that is already licensed to the company for wood harvesting. The company said the turbines will be active in 2026.

The provincial Department of Environment and Climate Change approved the project's class 1 environmental assessment in early 2023.

Geoff Clarke, a spokesperson for Port Hawkesbury Paper Wind, said it's been "quite a journey" since then, and the company plans to work this fall on its substation and office space that it will have on site.

He said the turbines will be installed next year.

Local councillor feels residents' concerns addressed

The Goose Harbour Lake Wind Farm project stretches from the outskirts of the town of Mulgrave toward Lincolnville, Upper Big Tracadie and Mattie Settlement.

The bulk of that land falls within the Municipality of the District of Guysborough. Coun. Neil DeCoff represents the area and sat on the community liaison committee that Port Hawkesbury Paper Wind established to get input from local residents.

DeCoff said Tuesday the company has quickly answered any concerns raised by his constituents at open houses held in the community over the past three years. These included the potential for turbine noise issues, as well as access to the wind farm by all-terrain vehicle riders.

"I've sat on a lot of liaison committees, but this is one of the few that I'm impressed with how quickly, when the questions are asked at a specific meeting, the next meeting that's held ... they bring the answers back and it goes from there."

For instance, he said the company told residents that they'll be able to continue using the land and there will be more all-terrain vehicle trails after the turbines are built.

Clarke, who is also Port Hawkesbury Paper's director of sustainability and economic development, said the company has harvested wood from the landfor six decades and has worked to respect local wildlife, its significance to Mi'kmaw communities, and the people who use it for recreation.

The company isn't the only Point Tupper-based firm aiming to set up wind farms in the area.

EverWind is proposing to install up to 404 turbines across three locations in Guysborough County.