Renewable Energy

The Province of Ontario’s Green Energy Act was created in 2009 to expand Ontario’s production of renewable energy, encourage energy conservation and promote the creation of clean energy jobs.

Renewable Energy Projects in Haldimand County

Throughout the county, we’ve seen a steady growth of sustainable energy projects over the past several years.

Haldimand County has seen five renewable energy projects launch within its boundaries. Thanks to these exciting and unprecedented developments, the County and its residents will reap the environmental and economic benefits of clean wind energy for generations to come. Here are some specific benefits of these projects:

Benefits specific to Haldimand County

• 200 turbines are expected with approximately 8 truckloads per turbine; that will equal approximately 1600 loads. An oversize load fee is $89. Given the number of loads, Haldimand County can expect to accrue approximately $140,000 in oversized load fees during the course of these projects.
• Other revenue during the project construction will be realized from various County fees such as road occupation, entrance, civic address and building permits which could be in the range of $9,000 per turbine.
• Community Vibrancy Agreement funds from green energy companies operating in Haldimand County will provide $2m annually for community-related projects.

Environmental benefits of wind energy

• No air emissions such as greenhouse gases, sulphur oxides or nitrogen emissions
• No water pollution
• No radioactive emissions
• No natural resources were consumed during the operation
• Land use per kilowatt generated is low

Economic benefits of wind energy

• No fuel costs
• Tax base increase
• New revenue for land leaseholders
• New local jobs created through the Community Vibrancy Funds
• No hidden costs, such as health care tax burden or pollution cleanup
• Income to local businesses including motels, caterers, office supply companies, construction firms, rental companies and others add to the economic development of the local area
• Wind farms increase the economic return on agricultural operations in the area, preserving traditional land use.

Under the Green Energy Act, Samsung, NextEra Energy Canada, Capital Power and Niagara Region Wind Corporation have located four commercial wind-generating projects and one solar energy-generating project in Haldimand County as governed by the Green Energy Act.