Nov 25 2010
A new Energy Accord released by the Prince Edward Island (PEI) Government reveals that the province is drastically cutting back on its plans to expand wind power development.
As per the PEI Energy Accord, the Government disclosed the addition of 30 MW of publicly owned wind power by the year 2012 and also a plan for an added 10 MW at North Cape’s Wind Institute, are in the offing. It is far less than the 130 MW, mentioned last year when the Government was requesting for proposals and tenders. Two years ago, PEI had a 500MW wind power plant plan. However as Maritime Electric, the province’s main utility provider had rejected six tenders quoting high costs as the reason, the RFP, which was supposed to be the first step towards the larger plant was dismissed.
PEI-windturbine-fall
According to Mike Currie, the Ten Point Plan advocated by the PIE’s Premier Robert Ghiz was unsuccessful. He further stated that this plan was just one of the many other glossy documents that never worked. Currie observed that the two wind farms constructed during the Tory Government rule were even now generating around $3 million profit per year for the Island’s residents.
Premier Ghiz puts the blame on recession for the cutback in his Government’s plans for the wind power sector. He revealed that as oil and natural gas prices have dropped down considerably, wind energy seems to be an unattractive proposition. He also remarked that the then point program was still very much in the picture but maybe delayed for some time.
One major obstacle to the plan devised by Ghiz was transport of the power generated away from the island to the island, employing a third power cable over the Northumberland Strait, with a total expenditure of $90 million with Ottawa’s help for the payments. Promises made by Gail Shea, PEI representative in the Federal Cabinet about supporting the infrastructure project were also not fulfilled, proving to be another setback for the plan.