Welcome to the website for the proposed Wejipek Wind Project! This website was 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 throughout the lifetime of the project. Open houses and other community engagement activities are planned for this project - the website will be updated as information becomes available.

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About the project

This 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 proposed Wejipek Wind Project is being developed by a partnership between Natural Forces and Lennox Island First Nation. Together, the partnership will develop, construct, operate, and own the project. 

The project is located in between Kinkora and Middleton on privately-owned lands historically used for agriculture. The Project will make use of as many existing roads as possible to minimize the loss of either forested areas, or active agriculture lands.

Project updates

As we develop this project, we are committed to providing the public with frequent updates and the results of our environmental studies in this section.

Project milestone timeline

Who is proposing this project?

Lennox Island First Nation

Lennox Island First Nation is one of the Mi'kmaq nations on the island known as Prince Edward Island. This nation has been on the island, in and around the Malpeque Bay area, for more than 10,000 years. Today, around 450 individuals call Lennox Island home. 

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Natural Forces

Natural Forces is an independent power producer that develops, owns, and operates renewable energy projects. Natural Forces was established in 2001 and has its head office in Halifax, NS, as well as regional offices in Chetwynd, British Columbia; Quispamsis, New Brunswick; Dublin, Ireland; and New York State. 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, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Labrador, Saskatchewan, British Columbia, 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.

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Why here?

When developing a wind project, it is crucial to find the most suitable location and community to host it. To do so, there are four main factors to consider during the site finding phase of development: ​

• Wind resource
• Distance to existing electrical and civil infrastructure
• Environmental sensitivity
• Socio-economic concerns 

Prince Edward Island has excellent wind resources, so generating electricity is feasible in many locations around the province. Factors other than the strength and consistency of the wind must be taken into account when considering a site, such as proximity to the electricity grid, road access, ecology, archaeology, and cultural significance, proximity to residential dwellings, and health concerns.

​The location of the Kinkora Wind Project was selected after a thorough review of all of these factors.

Stakeholder engagement

The development of wind energy in PEI provides a clean and stable source of energy and positively impacts local communities in a variety of ways. These include economic spinoff through the increase in demand of local goods and services, and job creation mostly notably 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

Natural Forces has engaged with, and continues to engage with, stakeholders through a number of avenues, including newsletters. Each of the newsletters circulated to date are linked below:

Open houses

Natural Forces will hold open house to provide an opportunity for the community to engage with Natural Forces staff.  All of the information that will be presented at these open houses will be uploaded here.

What is the process?

1 - Development: Current Stage	2 - Construction	3 - Operation	4 - Decommission or Retrofit
Assess the wind resource Survey for environmentally sensitive features  Optimize turbine location to capture the wind efficiently and minimize impact on sensitive features Begin consultation with regulators and the public Conduct and present the Environmental Impact Assessment for environmental approval Apply for road, work and construction permits​	Clear trees for roads and turbine pads Build access roads and pad areas Pour the turbine foundation Assemble the wind turbine Connect to NS Power's electrical grid	Commission the wind turbines to start producing power Conduct post-construction wildlife monitoring Monitor remotely for real time alerts when additional maintenance is needed Operate for 30 years​	Assess wind turbine after 30 years Decommission wind turbines in 3-6 months Reclaim the site to its former state OR Receive approvals and permits to retrofit the turbine to continue harnessing energy​

Environmental impact assessment

In PEI, any wind projects that exceed 1 MW in size are required to complete a provincial environmental impact assessment (EIA). All wind turbine project proposals will include a means for transmitting the power, as well as proposed power corridor route from the utility. 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 Kinkora Wind Project will produce up to 15 MW of electricity, it is subject to an EIA.

To fully assess the potential environmental and socio-economic impacts of the project, the following comprehensive studies will be conducted:

• Wind resource assessment
• Wetlands and watercourses surveys
• Bird and bat surveys​
• Vegetation and habitat surveys
• Noise and visual assessments
• Radiocommunication impact assessment
• Archaeological assessments​

Frequently Asked Questions

Question	Answer
​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.
How close are the 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?	​​​No. 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 negative health impacts. 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 did Natural Forces get the land for this project?	​For this project, Natural Forces leases land from private landowners. 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.
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, to name but a few, 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.

Natural Forces - Halifax Office
1801 Hollis Street, Suite 1205
Halifax, NS
B3J 3N4

902-483-9592 | community[at]naturalforces.ca