Two wind farm companies will ask the municipality for community support at Chatham-Kent (CK) Council's next meeting.
Crossfield Wind, also known as Capstone Infrastructure, wants to construct a 110 Megawatt (MW) farm with 15-18 wind turbines northeast of Ridgetown.
If approved, the Capstone project should be operational by mid-2030, and the municipality would receive $15.4 million in community benefits to be used for community purposes and distributed at the sole discretion of the municipality.
Botany Wind, also known as EDF Power Solutions, also needs community support to build a 100 MW project with 15-18 turbines northwest of Ridgetown by 2030.
The municipality would get similar community benefits from Botany Wind, totalling $14 million, to be used for investment in community capital infrastructure.
The proponents are required to complete an Agricultural Impact Assessment, since all areas outside of Chatham-Kent's urban settlements are considered to be Prime Agricultural under Chatham-Kent’s Official Plan.
There will be several deputations at the council meeting on Monday night.
Chatham-Kent's Agricultural Advisory Committee has already said that it "strongly opposes" any wind farms without planned compensation for "unintended effects."
The Kent Federation of Agriculture (KFA) said it's staying neutral on the issue.
KFA President Jim Brackett told CK News Today some farmers are worried about the turbine construction contaminating their drinking water.
"From a Kent Federation standpoint, I think whatever decision council makes, there will be people [who] are very happy with it and there will be other people [who] are very angry about it," Brackett noted.
Brackett said some farmers have already signed deals to host turbines and advises others to be careful before signing anything.
"If you accept whatever they offer you first, you may sign a contract that may not serve you well throughout your term with it," the KFA president warned.
The Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) forecasts annual electricity demand to grow by 75 per cent by 2050 due to economic growth, electrification, and evolving technologies. Plans are to build new transmission infrastructure to ensure reliable and affordable electricity is available.
The proponents need municipal support in order to apply for IESO contracts for these two wind projects.
