CBC reports that, “P.E.I. is making a mistake in allowing private companies to take control of the province’s wind energy resources, says the K.C. Irving chair in sustainable development at Universite de Moncton. Yves Gagnon told a gathering of municipal leaders in the eastern P.E.I. community of Montague on Monday that P.E.I. is wise to harness its wind resource, which he described as among the best in the world, but he was critical of the degree to which the development was being done by the private sector.”
Gagnon said, “The important money is through the ownership of the wind farm. There’s not a lot in the building of wind farms. It’s a short-term activity, short-term economic impact within a few months in the jurisdiction. While [with] the ownership, you generate profits over a 25-year period.”
He adds, “If there’s more local ownership and local involvement of communities or P.E.I. Crown corporations, in the case of the P.E.I. Energy Corporation, you should see a reduction in the opposition (or concern about noise and potential health risks).”
The CBC report continues, “Energy Minister Richard Brown plans to put out a tender in a few weeks that will expand that private sector development.”
The full article is at http://www.cbc.ca/canada/prince-edward-island/story/2009/04/28/pei-wind-ownership.html#socialcomments
