Welcome to the website for the Benjamins Mill 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.
Update: the environmental assessment for the Benjamins Mill Wind Project was registered with the province on January 18, 2022. More information is included below.
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About the projectThe Benjamins Mill 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 anywhere between 50 MW to 150 MW. This represents 8 to 28 turbines that and could collectively power an estimated 17,000-50,000 homes.The project is located in the West Hants Regional Municipality in Hants County, a few kilometers from Smith's Corner and Falls Lake. 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. |
Why here?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:
The location of the Benjamins Mill Wind Project was selected after a thorough review of all of these factors. |
Our process
1. Development - Current Phase
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2. Construction
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3. Operation
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4. Decommission or Retrofit
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What we're doing
Overall Project Timeline
Projected timelines are as follows:
- Fall, 2021 - Natural Forces staff continued to work on the permitting process, including conducting and completing environmental studies. We also worked on preparing our bid for the Nova Scotia Rate Based Procurement Program.
- Winter, 2022 - Natural Forces submitted our environmental assessment to the Nova Scotia Department of Environment and Climate Change for review. We are currently in the public comment period on the assessment, which ends February 17 2022.
- Spring-Summer, 2022 - Natural Forces will submit a bid to the Nova Scotia Rate Based Procurement and the Government of Nova Scotia will thereafter announce the results of the Rate Based Program and sign a Power Purchase Agreement.
- Fall 2022/Winter 2023 - Natural Forces will host an open house regarding construction. Pre-construction activities and site preparation will begin.
- 2023-2025 - The site will be constructed and commissioned.
Our studiesAs part of the permitting process, and to give us a better sense of the land and environment, Natural Forces conducted a number of studies on the lands surrounding this project area.
Natural Forces has a team of biologists, planners, engineers, wind resource experts and other scientific professionals that conducted, monitored and reviewed these studies. We also hired top-tier consulting firms to conduct research on our behalf and make recommendations. More information on these studies is available on this webpage below. We will also host an online open house in early 2022 to discuss the results of these studies and hear feedback from the public. Information on this open house will be sent out to stakeholders and posted on this website closer to the date. |
Project UpdatesNatural Forces is currently developing this project with the intention to bid into upcoming renewable energy procurement programs, such as the Nova Scotia Rate Based Procurement Program and the Green Choice Program. Timing is dependent on signing a Power Purchase Agreement. As such, any timelines are subject to change.
Municipal Permitting Updates:
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Open House 2 - Agenda and Presentation
The second open house for the proposed Benjamins Mill Wind Project was virtually held on February 3, 2022. This meeting was held to update the community and the public on the results from the environmental impact assessment (EIA), which was registered with the Province on January 18, 2022. More information on the EIA can be found in the section following this one.
The meeting followed the following agenda:
6:45 – Meet and greet: participants and Natural Forces chatted and introduced themselves
7:00 – A presentation was given by Natural Forces staff that outlined the project partners, the goal of the company, siting considerations, development work to date, the results from the EIA, and what work still needs to be completed.
7:30 – An informal question period was held, where participants asked questions about the EIA, the project layout, and general project inquiries. These questions can be found in the FAQ section on the website.
The presentation that was given can be found below. If you have any questions regarding the open house or the project in general, you can email your questions to Meg Morris at mmorris[at]naturalforces.com, or call us at 902-422-9663.
The meeting followed the following agenda:
6:45 – Meet and greet: participants and Natural Forces chatted and introduced themselves
7:00 – A presentation was given by Natural Forces staff that outlined the project partners, the goal of the company, siting considerations, development work to date, the results from the EIA, and what work still needs to be completed.
7:30 – An informal question period was held, where participants asked questions about the EIA, the project layout, and general project inquiries. These questions can be found in the FAQ section on the website.
The presentation that was given can be found below. If you have any questions regarding the open house or the project in general, you can email your questions to Meg Morris at mmorris[at]naturalforces.com, or call us at 902-422-9663.

Benjamins Mill Open House 2 - Presentation | |
File Size: | 64059 kb |
File Type: | pptx |
Environmental Impact Assessment
In Nova Scotia, any wind projects that exceed 2 MW in size are required to complete a provincial environmental impact assessment (EIA). During this process, an entire committee made of provincial and federal agencies evaluate the location and overall impact of the project on the surrounding environment and the public. As the Benjamins Mill Wind Project will produce up to 150 MW of electricity, it is subject to an EIA.
To fully assess the potential environmental impacts of the project, the following comprehensive studies have been conducted:
- Wind Resource Assessment
- Wetlands and Watercourses Surveys
- Bird and Bat Surveys
- Vegetation and Habitat Surveys
- Noise and Visual Assessments
- Radiocommunication Impact Assessments
- Archaeological Assessments
The results from these studies are compiled in the EIA document that was registered with the province on January 18, 2022. The full EIA document and the associated studies are available for download below.
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Questions from the Open House
Frequently Asked Questions
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More information
For more information, or if you have questions and comments on this project, please contact:
Meg Morris
mmorris@naturalforces.ca
902-422-9663
mmorris@naturalforces.ca
902-422-9663