Project Overview
The Blueberry Acres Wind Energy Project is a proposed renewable energy facility with a total capacity of up to 61.2 MW. The project will be comprised of turbines with a nameplate capacity between 5.9 to 7.2 MW. The facility would be located on privately-held land in Cumberland county, near highway 104.
The Project is co-owned by WEB Weavers Mountain Wind LP, a partnership of Glooscap First Nation and SWEB Development LP (SWEB Energy), a North American subsidiary of W.E.B. Group.
The following project-specific information was provided since the inception of the project in 2021. However, projects of this nature evolve over the course of their development. Consequently, please be advised that the most recent project-specific information will be uploaded here as it becomes available, starting with the newest information available.
Milestones
| 2020 – Onward | Stakeholder Engagement | 2021 – 2025 | Environmental Assessment | 2021 – 2025 | Local Permitting | 2022 – 2023 | Green Choice Program Due Diligence and Bid Submission | 2024 – 2025 | Power Purchase Agreement | 2026 – 2027 | Proposed Construction Period | 2027 – 2028 | Proposed Commercial Operation Date |
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Project Benefits
A central focus of the project during development, construction, and operations is to ensure that as much local labour, services, and materials are used as possible. It is anticipated that if the project is built, it will create a number of direct and indirect benefits for various stakeholders and First Nations communities. The project will have a positive impact on local businesses and will result in employment opportunities in addition to tax revenue for municipal, provincial, and federal governments.
A share of project revenues will be used to support local community groups and underrepresented communities in the province. Additionally, over its 25-year lifetime, the Project will contribute, if built at maximum size, more than $15.5 million in tax revenues to its host municipality. That is an average of more than $620,000 per year.
With respect to the environment and climate change, the project is expected to significantly offset carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from Nova Scotia’s current electricity production and will produce enough power for up to 20,000 homes.
During the last procurement round, the project committed to provide specific benefits for underrepresented groups, including First Nations, women working in the renewable energy sector, and African Nova Scotians. The Proponent has previously partnered with Glooscap First Nation (GFN) on this project and also worked with Women in Renewable Energy (WiRE) and Scotian Winds of Change (WoC) to provide additional benefits to the underrepresented groups. Project-specific benefits will be developed to meet the unique needs of the community and underrepresented groups as part of the project's participation in the Green Choice Program.