Off-shore wind development remains controversial in Ontario. Matthew Van Dongen writes about law suits, research, and politics in this article from the Hamilton Spectator:
It’s a cautionary turbine tale.
Last week, Burlington-based Windstream Energy challenged the province to approve a “test pilot” project to install 130 wind turbines — built in Hamilton — in eastern Lake Ontario, despite a provincial moratorium on offshore projects.
Mark Mullins wishes them luck. The Dundas resident has been down this political path before — and it led to a $2.2-billion lawsuit against the provincial government.
Mullins and Martin Parker are Hamilton-based partners in Trillium Power Wind Corp., which saw its plans for a big offshore wind project near Kingston blown away by the province’s pre-election moratorium last February.
The longtime renewable power investor is no longer convinced offshore wind projects will ever gain approval. “This wasn’t a moratorium, this was a cancellation of all offshore wind projects in Ontario,” said Mullins. “This isn’t about the need for more studies.”
The government says more environmental studies are under way in Sweden and on the U.S. side of Lake Erie. Ted McMeekin, a Liberal Hamilton cabinet minister, recently told The Spectator the government is committed to growing the green energy sector, but has to “create jobs responsibly.”
