German green energy developer pitches Minto on wind, solar potential

MINTO – Without municipal buy-in, Prowind won’t be able to advance solar and wind energy projects in town.

The company, headquartered in Germany, pitched council on its vision for a potential 24-megawatt solar project and a 70-megawatt wind project with 10 turbines. The solar project could produce enough electricity to power up to 5,000 homes, and the wind farm up to 20,000 homes.

“The municipality is in the driver’s seat, because without municipal approval, there is no development in renewable energy,” Prowind executive Helmut Schneider said.

The company needs a formal support resolution from council to participate in the Independent Electricity System Operator’s green energy push.

Schneider said the company has identified transmission and distribution lines in Minto, and mapped areas where turbines and solar may be viable.

Key areas exist in Minto’s northeast, and between Clifford and Drew. The company is also eyeing the Palmerston landfill site for solar.

“Does it make sense to build it here?” Schneider asked council.

Gone are the days of the Green Energy Act, legislation passed in 2009 under the Dalton McGuinty Liberal government, which stripped municipalities of planning authority, specifically over wind projects.

The Liberal government angered rural ridings and faced backlash for costly contracts. The Doug Ford government killed renewable energy contracts, spending millions, while restoring local planning authority.

Now the Independent Electricity System Operator, the agency managing the power grid and the electricity market in the province, is looking to renewable energy to help meet what it says is a forthcoming surge in demand for electricity.

Councillors Ron Elliott and Judy Dirksen brought up local resistance in the past to wind projects.

“There was a lot of negativity towards it,” Elliott said. 

“This is not always a friendly conversation,” Dirksen said.

Schneider said Prowind has had success with the 10-turbine “Gunn’s Hill Wind Project” in Norwich, with shared ownership through the Oxford Community Energy Co-op — roughly 49 per cent is owned through community shares, 40 per cent belongs to Prowind and 10 per cent is owned by Six Nations.

Schneider suggested a similar co-op could be established here, with locals able to buy shares and receive dividends.

The company would also establish a community benefit fund, with $1,200 per megawatt set aside each year.

Prowind anticipates returning to council in the coming months, providing time for politicians to reflect on the town’s suitability.