The wet and sloppy conditions caused construction delays across the board this summer, but work has picked up on the Wintering Hills wind power project near Dalum.
Suncor Energy is mostly responsible for the project, their biggest wind project to date with 55 turbines, at 88 megawatts total. The farm is expected to produce enough clean energy to power 35,000 Alberta homes at peak operation.
In September, Suncor entered into a partnership with Teck Resources Ltd., Suncor owns 70 per cent while Teck owns the remaining 30 per cent.
Construction on roads between turbines, their foundations and foundations for the substation building are being completed this fall.
Renee Paul, Senior Communications of Energy Supply Trading and Development said around 100 workers are in the field everyday.
Paul said land-owner relations and construction alike have been running smoothly.
“We obviously work very closely with landowners nearby,” says Paul. “We try to minimize the impact on their farming.”
Farmer Jerry Norman said road construction had slowed down his harvest schedule, and although compensated for crop damage, the inconvenience can be bothersome.
“We’re used to the oil and gas companies on our land, but they do one small project at a time. This is one monster project in five different quarters all at once,” says Norman, who works family land in the project area. “It’s made quite a mess.”
Norman admits the rise of green projects like wind farms are inevitable, if it wasn’t on the land he works it would have went on the neighbour’s land any way. He says the windy hills near Dalum will be put to good use.
When erected, the nearest turbine to his farm will be over a mile away, causing little worries about effects afterwards.
“It’ll keep the greenies happy anyway,” he laughs. “They lose 500 ducks, they put up 50 turbines.”