Celebration of wind energy investment to be held Monday
Administrator | Dec 16, 2012 | Comments 28
The press has been invited to attend an announcement of multi-million dollar investment in Southern Ontario and contract signature for 105 MW of wind energy on Monday at the Royal York Hotel in Toronto.
The invitation states REpower Systems Inc. and wpd Canada, a wholly-owned subsidiary of wpd Europe, will be officially signing a contract for the delivery of 52 MM92 turbines for six wind farms in Ontario. The wind farms have a combined total of 105 MW of installed capacity and will be located in the counties of Simcoe, Middlesex, Prince Edward, Dufferin, Wellington and Kawartha Lakes.
“As a result of this agreement, REpower has committed to a multi-million dollar investment in a manufacturing facility in Southern Ontario in order to meet the 50 per cent domestic content requirement of the Green Energy Act.”
The conference is to be followed by a celebratory reception, however, Kevin Surette, wpd’s manager of communications, says he suspects a decision for Prince Edward County’s project won’t be made before the summer of 2013.
“The MOE is still in the process of determining if our application for White Pines is complete. Once that is complete, the application will be posted to the EBR for public comment, followed by a full evaluation of the application. We suspect a decision won’t be made before the summer of 2013,” says Surette.
The conference is to offer more about the investment and its impact as well as the cooperation between REpower and wpd. The invitation states “There will also be an occasion to take photos of the live contract signature between wpd and REpower and the opportunity for one-on-one statements from
• Helmut Herold, Managing Director of REpower Systems Inc.
• Ian MacRae, Managing Director of wpd Canada
• The German Ambassador, Mr. Werner Wnendt
• Representatives from the Ontario Ministry of Energy,
• the Ontario Ministry of Economic Development and Innovation,
• the German-Canadian Chamber of Industry and Commerce.
The Minister of Economic Development and Innovation, Brad Duguid, has been invited to the event as a speaker (not confirmed).”
Filed Under: Local News
Thank you David Norman for your last post and thank you Rick Conroy for your article in the times. He quoted Henri Garand as saying “The imlication is wpd knows the outcome and that further public consultation is irrelevant”. As Rick said the meeting in Toronto was a crass display of arrogance. Henri said that wpd seems to be trying to tie the hands of the new Premier who might wish to change the green energy policy and suspend wind development. This press conference compromises the Ont ario Government.
When a company goes to this extreme measure it does look as if they are running scared.
Time will tell, we just hope that somehow South Marysburgh will be saved from this disastrous project
I considered trekking down to Toronto to attend this nefarious affair, but changed my mind when I realized that the avarice funded hors d’œuvres would not likely favor my vegan diet. A buddy of mine, a writer for a web greenzine, who did attend informed me that the vast majority of those attending were wind industry fillers and the likes of the Blue-Green, United Steel Workers beneficiaries. Apparently an intern from the Globe was the only identifiable main stream media presence, the rest being web greenzine types whose efforts are sponsored by the wind industry, government and/or the various ENGO’s like Environmental Defence, the Pembina Institute or the Sierra Club. There were also a few webzine investor hucksters checking it out for potential patsies. Up to the point midway when my buddy tired of limited palette stimulus and left for greener pastures, there was a notable absence of any high profile provincial government representation or CanWEA shills. I do note that most of the Astroturf greenzine reports that have appeared the day after, do quote that Andreas Nauen, CEO of REpower, the foreign Suzlon owned company providing the turbines, as expressing his knowledge of the Canadian context for his paycheck. Must have been a terrible surprise for him to learn that there are many folk here in Canada expressing health concerns in relation to Industrial Wind Turbines when only last month he stated in an interview that to his knowledge this was only a problem specific to Australia.
You say that none of we anti-wind people represent you or the people that you know, Fed Up. Thank God for that. Who are you to decide who is credible and who is not? You seem totally convinced that your opinions are the only ones worth consideration. Wind – you certainly do know all about it.
Cheers @ Fed up.
It’s amazing how much political loyalty can cloud your judgement. Stop politicizing every goddamn issue. This is not a Conservatives vs Liberals issue.
None of you anti wind people represent me or the people that I know. You embrace pseudo science, grind your own personal political axes, and worry only about your own personal comfort level. You have no credibility.
I think the reverend will be more busy trying to answer his congregation”s concerns than worrying about comments on Countylive. I still do not understand why he would involve himself and to pick a side to support. But he freely chose to. But leave the “poor Reverend Colwell” sentiments at the door. He had a professional choice to remain neutral and ignored that. Perhaps the lease holders are able to fill the collection plate more plentifully!
Maybe we just happen to like things the way they are, Fed Up. Maybe they seem pretty reasonable to us. Reminds me of some lines from that old song Galway Bay – “the strangers came and tried to teach us their ways and laughed at us for bein’ what we are, but they might as well be chasin’ after moonbeams or light a penny candle from a star”. Might be a good idea to forget about “teaching” we prejudiced, unreasonable folks.
The German ambassador is in attendance to support wpd a German business, while REpower the wind turbine supplier is a subsidiary of Suzlon an Indian corporation. Once again the McGuinty government has sold out Ontario’s future to foreign corporations. The American, Korean, Chinese, and German, big business interests benefit while all the little people of Ontario are sold down the river and McGuinty does it all while parliament is prorogued.
Dear Rev Colwell–now you see what it is like on here.
Really not worth your while to engage these anti wind people. They are completely unreasonable and prejudiced.
Save your breath and your sanity. Hope the rest of your week is better! 🙂
@ Jim… “Verbose, aggressive, disrespectful are words that hardly even begin to cover the nature of the comments.” I assume your referring to his letter “For the birds” at http://www.myvirtualpaper.com/doc/Picton-County-News/picton-county-weekly-news-12-13-12/2012121201/#10. “Poor Rev. Colwell, I’m sure he had no idea of the nature of the ‘discussion’ he was stepping into.”… perhaps he might have offered the same respect to other “poor” folks that you seem to feel he deserves.
@Jim, Absolutely agree with every word you say, that is exactly what the reverend,s comments are to the community He should have considered his commments a little longer before putting pen to paper.
Wow, just happened to come back to this string. (I work, so don’t have much time)
Verbose, aggressive, disrespectful are words that hardly even begin to cover the nature of the comments. Poor Rev. Colwell, I’m sure he had no idea of the nature of the “discussion” he was stepping into.
The folks preaching the goodness of industrial wind turbines upon their brethern are so entrenched in their cause they feel the absolute right to impact others in society. Here we have the wind lobbyists who gather in the cash in the name of environmentalism all the while destroying their neighbours land, health and peaceful serenity. It is their God given right to inflict their neighbours. It’s like it’s their 2nd ammendment. It’s nice that the foreign companies can spend the Ontario taxpayers dime to entertain and “shoot the breeze” at the Royal York. Allbeit far from the nasty deed.
Interestingly Mark, considering I’m an atheist, in my protest over Industrial Wind Turbine development I’ve entertained the controversy it has created as an illation of “original sin”. I have found the narrative rhetoric associated with the promotion of Industrial Wind Turbine development to be remarkably similar to that of itinerant preachers of religious doctrine. The hellfire and brimstone damnation of human induced Climate Change by pro wind advocates and organizations, while effective for garnering media attention and procuring donations from the faithful and fearful, is in my view an original-sin environmentalism that rests on a selective reading of our past and the subsequent prognostications of our future, similar in many respects to historical and literal interpretation of the Bible. In my reading of the Bible, humanity is by nature capable of communion with God, or in my case Nature, and only through such communion can humanity become what it was created to be. “Original sin” stands for the fact that from a time apparently prior to any responsible act of choice, humanity is lacking in this communion. As an aside, it is interesting to note that some critics of Industrial Wind Turbine development have come to refer to these particular technological idols of environmental salvation as “eco-crucifixes”.
Had Colwell been paying attention to the controversy in this regard, he may have realized that Industrial Wind Turbine development, as a way to mitigate environmental concerns such as Climate Change is a hopelessly flawed strategy. Yet it has captured the financially (avarice) inspired imagination of corporate, government and stakeholder alike, despite the obvious consequence that it is a political dead end. But perhaps, as with original sin, this is in the nature of being human when there are immediate gains (desires) to be had. Meanwhile, friends, family, neighbors and their communities are being “rent asunder” by these Industrial Wind Turbine developments. In my perspective, the mission of “environmentalists”, in this controversy, should be to preach self-restraint to curb our ecological footprint and limit our misdeeds so as to remain within Nature’s (God’s) capacity for forgiveness. However, what we have done with this technological ideological preoccupation is to metaphorically create a growing ecological handprint, with all of the eschewing ostentatious display that Industrial Wind Turbines represent. And, when facts (truths) are metaphorically tossed into the swirling turbulence created by the turning Industrial Wind Turbine blades, those great machine fetishes that at once create and obey public opinion, they come out as something else. Perhaps living next to an old Quaker graveyard, where I often go to quietly contemplate, has influenced my perspective in this respect. Soren Kierkegaard once said; “Alas, yet it is so easy, so very easy, to acquire a true opinion, and yet it is so difficult, so very difficult, to have an opinion and to have it in truth.” As I have all too frequently found when it comes to dealing with issues of human endeavor, when the choice is framed as human desire versus natural redemption, it turns out that most folk will choose the former. If the integrity of environmentalism in relation to Industrial Wind Turbines is to have a future, we must move beyond this dichotomy by recognizing the original sin.
It is bewildering why a minister who conducts services in South Marysburgh and Athol would wade into and favour an industrial technology that has ripped and divided the communities. That is not a peace maker approach. I suspect his tenure will be short lived.
WOW………..Colwell and “his” United Church “publicly championing Wind Turbine Development”!
Sounds about right. The United Church has literally sold it’s soul to the United Nations and is following their Agenda 21 inhumane doctrine!
Nasty business here Colwell!!!!
See it here: http://thebiggreenlie.wordpress.com/2012/07/28/when-a-church-embraces-u-n-rhetoric-it-dies/
Colwell should stick to saving souls, he certainly has no business wading into the turbine issue. Politics and religion make for a dangerous combination. Mr Colwell keep your opinions to yourself if you insist on qualifying your opinions by your occupation in life.
Thumbs up to progress on the renewable energy front. Wind power is one of the technologies which will lead to a better future for our descendants.
Congratulations to WPD and Repower. Never heard of either of them in Ontario’s wind market. Glad to see more competition in the industry.
A new contract signing is good, but what’s even better is the new manufacturing facility right here in Ontario. Jobs!
Wind is not the only solution for our future energy due to it’s nature but it definitely needs to be part of the energy mix as the benefits are PLENTY. It is working for most of Europe and China.
Glad to see Ontario’s green energy incentives bringing economic benefits to our province besides the environmental benefits.
Some of the comments on here seem biased, close minded, misinformed and politically charged.
PS – I am NOT a liberal.
I wonder in what world Chris Kuntz and David Colwell live.
Read reports out of Europe where they feel wind energy
is a waste and not efficient.
Wind energy is not going to have any good effect on climate change. There are too many negatives associated with wind energy. Wind and solar cannot support our electricity needs
And, now we are presented with the theist sanctimony of the “new United Church minister in Prince Edward County”, David Colwell, who in his letter published in the 12/13/12 issue of the County Weekly News, stated in his hyperbole contrived admonishment of Steve Campbell, “some folks seem to fear wind turbines as if they were Apocalyptic agents of doom rising from the earth like Martian invaders, but wind turbines are not gas chambers constructed for the sole purpose of murdering millions, or crematoria spewing forth the acrid smoke of incinerated human beings”. On the basis of this proclamation we must now not only premise our considered opinions on science, but now, by Colwell’s reference decide which side GOD is on, explicit in his presentation of credential. This is “Inherit the Wind” part two… a reprise of “The Scopes Monkey Trial” with all the inherent anthropogenic drama.
Nothing quite like holding a “celebratory reception” in Toronto of all places to applaud the potential destruction of several rural economies and confiscation of property values without compensation,attended by Queen’s Park people while the Legislature is undemocratically prorogued.
It’s all about careful wording isn’t it? “105MW installed capacity” translates into, at best, 30MW actual power generated. Is this an efficient use of resources? Would anyone buy a car that only ran 30% of the time?
This is disgusting — wpd organizing a “celebration” to gloat about its good fortune, which will come at the expense of the health and property values of rural residents forced to live near their huge industrial wind factories.
Note that they are holding their celebration in Toronto — the most urban of settings, well away from the rural communities upon which they will inflict damage for a generation.
I would personally like to congratulate both REpower and WPD for this monumental signing. Wind turbines and renewable energy in general are good for the Province of Ontario. Both environmentally and economically it makes good sense.
Isn’t. that just wonderful–dalton is wasting more of our money–I hear he has appointed Leona a J.P.–must be someone more deserving of that appointment. He did that with Ernie Parsons too
Nothing like free food to draw the peanut gallery. LOL
I’ll be there with “bells on”!