Welcome to the website for the Aulds Mountain Wind Project. This website has been created to provide information to community members, First Nations, government and other stakeholders about the proposed project. Natural Forces is committed to meeting with stakeholders about our projects. Open houses and other community engagement activities are planned for this project and the website will be updated as information is available.
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About the ProjectThis project is located in Mi’kmaki, the ancestral territory of the Mi’kmaq. Natural Forces acknowledges that working on these lands is a privilege that comes with a great deal of responsibility. We believe that private companies have an important role to play in the decolonization of the energy sector and, ultimately, the path towards reconciliation through partnerships and meaningful engagement. To honour and achieve this, we must look forward for generations and integrate the practices and knowledge of the original land stewards, the Mi’kmaq, into project planning.
The Aulds Mountain III Wind Project is being developed by a partnership formed between Natural Forces and Wskijnu'k Mtmo'taqnuow Agency Ltd (WMA), a corporate body wholly owned by the 13 Mi'maq Nations of Nova Scotia. Together, the partnership will construct, operate, and own the project. The proposed project will have an installed capacity of up to 50 MW. This represents up to 12 turbines that and could collectively power an estimated 17,000 homes. The project is located in the Pictou County in Piedmont, about 23km east of New Glasgow. Note: Natural Forces intends to bid this project into Nova Scotia's upcoming renewable energy program, the Rate Based Procurement Program. For more information, visit the program's FAQ section for the public here. |
Project Updates
Natural Forces is committed to keeping the community and stakeholders informed throughout the Project's development. This section of the website will be used to post the most recent project updates.
Who is proposing this project?
The project is being formed by the partnership between the Wskijnu'k Mtmo'taqnuoq Agency and Natural Forces
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Wskijnu'k Mtmo'taqnuow Agency Limited (WMA) |
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Natural Forces |
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WMA is a corporate entity created by the 13 Nova Scotia Mi'kmaw communities. WMA was created in order to develop partnerships with industry leaders.
Recognizing the need to build capacity and work with experts to participate in opportunities happening in Mi'kmaki, the 13 First Nations created the WMA Agency to create and manage Nova Scotia' Mi'kmaq Nation-wide business opportunities. WMA is overseen by a five (5) member board that is currently comprised of three (3) Chief nominated members’ board seats and two (2) seats that will be filled by community members. The board’s responsibilities include meeting with companies in order to evaluate potential partnership opportunities, and managing these ongoing relationships. In addition to the Board, WMA also has shareholder seats that are filled by the Chiefs of the 13 First Nations. |
Natural Forces is an independent power producer that develops, owns, and operates renewable energy proejcts. Natural Forces was established in 2001 and has its head office in Halifax, NS, as well as regional offices in Quispamsis, New Brunswick, and Dublin, Ireland. Collectively, Natural Forces has close to 300 MW of renewable energy projects in operation across Canada, with several ongoing projects at various stages of completion in Nova Scotia, Saskatchewan, New Brunswick, Labrador, Ireland, and New York.
The senior management team at Natural Forces has over 70 years of combined renewable energy experience encompassing all project life cycle activities in a range of international locations including Canada, Ireland, Poland, the UK, and Australia. Natural Forces is an integrated developer and operator of renewable energy assets. The in-house team undertakes all activities from initial site selection, development, financing, construction, operations, and asset management. Our vision is to develop, construct, operate, and own clean renewable energy projects across Canada in partnership with local and Indigenous communities. |
Why here?
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When developing a wind project, it is crucial to find the best suitable location and community to host it. To do so, there are four main factors to consider during the site finding phase of development:
Natural Forces is also familiar with this area, seeing as the Aulds Mountain Wind Farm is located 1.5-2 km away from the proposed project site. Because of this, Natural Forces is already very familiar with the community, the wind resource, and the surrounding environment. The location of the Aulds Mountain Wind Project was selected after a thorough review of all of these factors. |
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What is the process?
1 - Development: Current Phase |
2 - Construction |
3 - Operation |
4 - Decommission or Retrofit |
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Stakeholder Engagement
The development of wind energy in Nova Scotia not only provides a clean and stable source of energy, it also positively impacts the community in a variety of ways. These include the increase in demand of local goods and services, and job creation during the construction phase. Natural Forces is committed to engaging with all stakeholders and stakeholder groups throughout the lifetime of the project, as we value community input greatly. Below are details on the newsletters that have been sent to our stakeholders, as well as summaries of the information that has been shared at our open houses. Interested in receiving our newsletters? Sign up here!
Newsletters |
Open Houses |
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Natural Forces has engaged with, and continues to engage with, stakeholders through a number of avenues including newsletters. Each of the newsletters that have been shared with stakeholders are linked below:
March 2019 November 2021 |
Natural Forces has held one open house to provide an opportunity for the community to engage with the Natural Forces staff. The open house was held in person at the Merigomish School House. Natural Forces will continue to host open houses throughout the development of the project. All of the information that was included can be seen below:
May 26 2022 |
Frequently Asked Questions
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Are wind turbines noisy? |
Wind turbines have moving parts and therefore some sound can be expected. However, well-designed wind turbines are generally quiet in operation, and compared to the noise of road traffic, trains, aircraft, and construction activities, the sound from wind turbines is very low. As wind turbine technology has evolved, the sounds emitted have decreased. The further away you are from a project, the less sound it will make. This site will likely have trees and other barriers that would break a lot of the sound before it reaches homes. A typical wind project would have a noise level of between 35-45 decibels. For reference, the compressor of a refrigerator produces 40-45 decibels. (Check out the Energy Nova Scotia Wind Page for more information). Stories of excessive noise often come from areas where the turbines are very close to homes. Natural Forces follows the minimum standards for distance from residences laid out by local regulations, or a typical minimum of 1KM. |
How close are wind turbines to residences? |
The proposed turbines will be set back at least 1.0 km from all cabins and houses. |
Are wind turbines bad for my health? |
A study done by Health Canada in 2014 investigated the health effects of wind turbine noise. This study found that wind turbine noise was not associated with self-reported sleep, illness or stress levels. The summary of these results can be reviewed on the Health Canada Environmental and Workplace Health page and links to additional studies can be found in the following section. |
How does Natural Forces get the land? |
For this project, Natural Forces leased land from private landowners and has made agreements with the provincial government for Crown land. Over the course of several years, we have developed trusted relationships with the landowners and in all instances the land remains in the ownership of the landowner and is leased for the duration of the project. No land has been leased from unwilling landowners. |
Can local companies take part during construction? |
During construction, Natural Forces makes every attempt to hire local contractors, using our in-house construction management company, Natural Forces Construction, to ensure smaller contractors are able to participate. |
Will there be an impact to the environment? |
Natural Forces undertakes rigorous environmental impact assessments ahead of construction to determine existing environmental sensitivities and potential impacts on the project to the environment. This information will be reviewed by provincial government officials and will be open for public comment. |
Get in touch with us
Natural Forces - Halifax Office
1801 Hollis Street, Suite 1205
Halifax, NS
B3J 3N4
902-422-9663 | info[at]naturalforces.ca
1801 Hollis Street, Suite 1205
Halifax, NS
B3J 3N4
902-422-9663 | info[at]naturalforces.ca