Digby Neck Not Suitable for Wind Turbines

Communities sacrificed
Ralph Surette is right to point out the
downsides to "big wind" development
in Nova Scotia ("There's trouble blow-
ing in the wind," Jan. 16 column).
Besides the cost of developing renew-
ables to Nova Scotia electricity con-
sumers, there are also the costs to !he
rural communities that will be hosting
"big wind."
1\s the Whites Point Quarry joint re-
view panel noted in their recommen-
dations in 2007, Digby Neck is not a
suitable site for large industrial devel-
opment. Now, Nova Scotia Power's par-
ent company, Emera, has purchased a
50 per cent interest in the Digby Wind
Power Project on Digby Neck, a migra-
tory bird route.
Seventeen large turbines have been
approved for the 2,7oo-acre site in and
around three small communities on
Digby Neck, but it's unlikely it will
stop there. The proponents will also be
building a lO-kilometre-plus transmis-
sion line to connect this narrow penin-
sula to the grid.
This special place was recognized by
the CEM Joint Review Panel just over
two years ago and now it appears our
small communities could be sacrificed
as a site for "big wind" development
with all the potential problems that
Ralph discussed so well in his column.
Nora T. Peach
and Judith Peach, Digby