One down

A wind farm near Dorion passed a milestone this week as its first turbine was installed.

The Greenwich wind energy project will eventually have 43 turbines on site by October.

Renewable Energy Systems project manager John Bruce said the company will start installing three-to-four turbines a week until the job is done.

The $300 million project had faced some delays but it is moving at full-speed now he added.
"We have faced some challenges on deliveries due to frost restrictions in June and then also road conditions in general and weather conditions on site," Bruce said.

There were also transportation issues, but he didn’t want to comment on the specifics other than to say they are now resolved. There were also problems delivering the top section of the 2,000-foot turbines to the site near Ouimet Canyon.

Bruce said the delays won’t impact the October completion date.

"We’re still very much on target to finish the job," he said.

Dorion Reeve Dave Harris said there has been a lot of excitement in the community since the first turbine went up. People in the town who worked on various phases of the project want to go out and see the finished product.

"A lot of people in this area haven’t actually seen a wind turbine before, so they are anxious to see some," Harris said.

While Dorion is expected to see about $75,000 a year in taxes from the project, Harris said that number still needs to be finalized.

"We have nothing more to go on at this point. Those figures have to be confirmed. Hopefully soon we will know those but it will be a little while yet," said Harris.

Around 100 people from the region were employed during the construction phase.