Brian Zinchuk is editor and owner of Pipeline Online
Wind turbines near Assiniboia, July 10, 2021. If Enbridge and six Indigenous partners are successful, the area immediately east of Weyburn could soon have a similar wind farm. Photo by Brian Zinchuk
You’d have thought they were proposing a pipeline in Nebraska
WEYBURN – Pipeline companies like Enbridge have frequently received hostile receptions for the last fifteen years when they were proposing building a new pipeline project. As pipelines had become a focal point of environmental resistance, this is par for the course.
Something quite different happened in Weyburn the evening of July 17. This time, Enbridge, a pipeline company for over 70 years, came to Weyburn, an oil town for just as long, to pitch a 200 megawatt wind project just east of the community. This time, the hostile reception was not adverse to oil pipelines, but to wind development.
At least 80 people at one point packed into a meeting room at the local Ramada hotel, with some spilling into the hallway. There may have been supporters of the wind project present, but none spoke up. And the critics were harsh and numerous in their contention of Not In My Back Yard (NIMBY).
At first it was quite loud as people spoke amongst themselves and individually to the roughly 10 Enbridge representatives in the room. Explanatory posters on easels circled the room. The din continued until Kim Brady stood on a chair and called the room to attention. He urged everyone to pose their questions to Enbridge as one, and for the Enbridge representatives to speak to all at the same time. That led to a question and answer session that lasted roughly and hour and a half without a break.
When one of the Enbridge reps brought a bottle of water to Keith Taylor, the Enbridge professional engineer who is the project lead and who fielded nearly all the questions, someone piped up they should have brought him something stronger.
Laughs ensued.
Enbridge project lead Keith Taylor, right, was grilled for about an hour and a half. Photos by Brian Zinchuk
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Background
First off, the project in question is a 200 megawatt wind facility intended to be built immediately east of Weyburn. The project will entail 46 wind turbines, with a hub eight of 120 metres and a rotor diameter of 175 metres. That’s a total height of about 205 metres, or 673 feet, the rough equivalent of a 56 story building. Each turbine would have a nameplate capacity of 4.5 megawatts.
Enbridge took over the project from EDF Renewables just a few weeks ago, on June. 21. EDF had spent several years developing the project and securing the land for it.
EDF’s website also lists a 200 megawatt wind project southeast of Swift Current called the Spring Lake Wind Project, “set to become operational in 2028/29.” However, that project website clearly hasn’t been fully updated, as it also lists anticipated construction beginning in Q4 2018 and completion in Q2 2020.
The company also has an extensive presentation for a 300 megawatt project it is working on with the Kainai/Blood Tribe in southwest Alberta. The presentation addresses many similar concerns that were raised at the Weyburn open house. It can be viewed here.
In the broader context, this project is part of a major push by SaskPower to increase its wind and solar portfolio. But the Weyburn project, like all the other wind and solar projects, is not being developed, owned or operated by SaskPower. All these new renewable energy projects are being built, owned and operated by independent power producer companies, not by the taxpayer dollar. They sign a power purchase agreement with SaskPower, and make money when power is sold. When they are not producing power when the wind drops or the sun goes down, they do not get paid.
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And in recent years, SaskPower has made it a stipulation that all of these projects must have at least a partial Indigenous ownership component. In this case, it’s five First Nations and the Metis Nation of Saskatchewan, plus Enbridge, thus the project name – Seven Stars Energy.
The Government of Saskatchewan announced on June 24 it would financially back part of the Indigenous investment into a new 200 megawatt wind project near Weyburn, should that project go ahead.
And to provide further context, back in 2019, SaskPower was facing the imminent closure of its Boundary Dam Units 4 and 5 under federal legislation. It did not, at that time, have large scale natural gas power generation in place such has since been developed at Swift Current and Moose Jaw, and soon Lanigan. As part of the negotiation to allow SaskPower to get a few more years of coal power, the Crown corporation agreed to add 3,000 megawatts of additional wind and solar to the provincial grid. That’s currently roughly equal to an average day of power generation in this province on days where it is neither hot or cold. But that’s also the “nameplate capacity,” not the actual output.
On top of that, Enbridge is one of SaskPower’s largest customers. Its pumping stations along its Mainline pipeline system, which runs through Saskatchewan from Macklin to Moosomin, and terminals in Kerrobert and Regina, are major consumers of power. This is indicated by the large substations located adjacent to its pumping stations along its mainline. And like all major corporations, Enbridge is under pressure from markets to improve it’s environmental, social and governance (ESG) standing.
And if that isn’t enough, the federal government is in the final stages of putting together its proposed Clean Electricity Regulations. Those regulations, if implemented, will require coal and natural gas-fired power generations to be all but eliminated from Canada’s electrical grid unless they have expensive carbon capture systems installed on them, systems that will use up to roughly a third of the power station’s output just to operate. Without carbon capture, natural gas-fired power station will only be allowed to run 450 hours per year (less than 19 days) in peaking operations. And without carbon capture, coal won’t be allowed at all.
With all that said, here’s the project, and then the open house.
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The project
Formerly known as the Weyburn Wind Project, it now goes by Seven Stars Energy Project. It was in development for several years, both in gathering data and in land assembly. EDF Canada was the proponent, but that changed on June 21, when Enbridge acquired the project.
The project area is just east of Weyburn. Its northern border is Highway 13 eight miles, and its southern border is eight miles south. The western border is the road Panther Drilling is located on, and the eastern border is nine miles east of Panther. It makes up a total of approximately 21,000 acres. That falls primarily within the RMs of Weyburn and Griffin.
(Slides provided by Enbridge are the same ones presented at the open house.)
Enbridge’s slides note the “Project is being advanced with Indigenous partners who can acquire at least 30% equity ownership.”
As noted above, the Government of Saskatchewan announced in late June it would provide up to $100 million in loan guarantees for the Indigenous partners.
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One open house has been held, on July 17, with a second expected in the fall of 2024. In December, Enbridge will submit its Environmental Impact Statement to the Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment. A final investment decision by Enbridge is expected as early as the first quarter of 2025. If the environmental approval is achieved in the second quarter of 2025, the earliest possible construction start is third quarter of 2025. That is dependent upon SaskPower interconnection process, major equipment procurement and project permitting.
The turbine model has not yet been finalized, but the project slides provided by Enbridge refer to Vesta models. That was confirmed by Taylor’s comments, when he was asked if they were going to be Seimens models (the questioner pointed out Seimens has had significant quality control issues of late with its wind turbines.) If all goes well, operations will commence in 2027.
This is almost an identical construction timeline to the 200 megawatt Bekevar Yotin Wind Facility being constructed by Cowessess First Nation and its partner Innagreen. at Kipling, except that Bekevar will have 36 wind turbines.
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The Bekevar and Weyburn projects are also similar in that the project developer and eventual operator change hands. Bekevar is being built by its developer, Renewable Energy Systems, but upon completion, will be taken over by Innagreen, backed by global infrastructure asset manager HRL Morrison & Co. Weyburn, on the other hand has seen the project’s design and land assembly done by EDF, which then sold the project to Enbridge to bring it to fruition.
All sites in the project map provided by Enbridge are north of Highway 39 and south of Highway 13. The closest turbines to be Weyburn would include one kitty-corner to the Panther Drilling yard, to the northeast across Highway 39. Two alternative sites are a little over a mile south-southeast of the John Kmita Well Servicing yard. Site 13 is approximately 1.25 miles north-northeast of Ralph.
The project’s placement is no accident, as it straddles one of SaskPower’s main 230 kilovolt transmission lines that runs from Boundary Dam Power Station to Regina.
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Notable among the slides was the statement regarding noise levels, where it said, “Cumulative noise from facility will be less than 40 decibels (dBA) at residences (equivalent to a whisper from 1.5 meters, or 5 feet, away).
“Independent health experts conclude that living in proximity to wind turbines does not pose a threat to public health :
- More than 100 peer-reviewed scientific research papers and government reports (Canada, U.S., UK and Australia)
- Health Canada study (2014) found no evidence to support a link between self-reported human health issues and exposure to wind turbine noise”
This matter had considerable discussion during the open house, as seen below.
Also noted in the slides, “Enbridge has filed an amendment to the RM of Weyburn to update the Zoning Bylaw for development of commercial scale wind facilities. The amendment requests clarity and practicality of the setback requirements while striving to balance responsible wind development.”
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That request was to reduce setbacks from 1,000 metres (one kilometre) to 750 metres. It has not gone before the municipal council yet and has not been approved at this time, and there would be public advertisement of the proposal.
Indigenous partners
Six Nations Energy Development Limited Partnership, a newly created Indigenous consortium, will steward investment in the Seven Stars project on behalf of:
- Cowessess First Nation
- George Gordon First Nation
- Kahkewistahaw First Nation
- Métis Nation-Saskatchewan
- Pasqua First Nation
- White Bear First Nations
Enbridge response
Pipeline Online asked Enbridge several questions by email after the event in Weyburn. These are Enbridge’s responses, verbatim:
Pipeline Online: What is the total project cost?
Enbridge: The total investment of the project is confidential. We are working toward building a definitive cost estimate as a key component in making a final investment decision, which we anticipate in 2025.
P.O.: What is the expected local expenditure, i.e. dirt work, concrete (as the turbines are built elsewhere)
Enbridge: Enbridge’s planned projects and operations stimulate local and regional economies. Through procurement spending, we’re helping to create indirect employment, support local businesses, and establish economic spinoffs.
We will know more as the project advances, however based on work done to date on the project by the previous owner, we anticipate the following benefits:
- More than 200 jobs at peak construction;
- Contract opportunities for local businesses;
- Approximately four to eight full- and part-time jobs during the operating life of the Project; and,
- Local business opportunities in the hospitality, material supply, and construction services sectors during construction, operation, maintenance and decommissioning project phases.
P.O.: What is the expected workforce during construction? Could some of that workforce local, i.e. dirtmoving, staging yard, etc.? There’s a transload facility right on the edge of Weyburn, for instance, for rail deliveries.
Enbridge: More than 200 jobs at peak construction and, yes there will be opportunities for local service companies.
P.O.: What is the expected workforce during operations?
Enbridge: Approximately 10 full-time skilled jobs during the operating life of the project.
P.O.: What is the expected taxes to be paid to the local RMs and province?
Enbridge: Enbridge is committed to the communities where we operate. The project will provide tax revenue to the local area, which will be determined by the size of the project. We estimate a 200-megawatt wind project with startup in 2027 would contribute approximately $800,000 annually combined for the RM of Weyburn, RM of Griffin and to provincial education taxes, beginning in 2028. (This estimate is based on current Saskatchewan tax policies, procedures and legislation and is subject to change).
P.O.: What is the anticipated project life (25 years? More? Sunbridge was demolished after 20)
Enbridge: Expected project lifespan is 30 years.
Kim Brady took to a chair to call the room to order. Photo by Brian Zinchuk
Open House
As mentioned above, the open house was packed with concerned citizens and Enbridge representatives. Kim Brady climbed on a chair and said to the Enbridge representatives, “You just need to do a better job of asking the public who live here what their thoughts are. And answer some questions straight up, not just one individual at a time. This is not right. I’m sorry. It’s my opinion. I’m kind of grumpy about it.
“Would you want to live here? No. You want 40 dBA your coming in your bedroom window at night when you want to open your house up? No. So we get a say. We should have a say,” Brady said.
Unfortunately, there were so many people talking, Pipeline Online wasn’t able to sort out the names of the members of the public who spoke.
One woman said, “How about we take control and say, ‘This is our place, where we live. We want answers?’”
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One man said wind was impractical and inefficient. “My concern is, if you’re using taxpayers’ money and this stuff doesn’t turn out, like many of these other projects don’t, now the taxpayer gets to foot the bill if your (project) doesn’t work.”
Taylor explained taxpayer money is through an investment tax credit system from the Federal government.
That man felt that a lot of taxpayer money is going into it.
“SaskPower is looking for a number of renewable energy projects,” Taylor responded. He referred to wind as “a clean source of energy.”
Health concerns
Concerns about noise levels were brought up repeatedly. Taylor responded, “Health Canada has done the largest study on wind turbine noise, from a few hundred meters away from turbines up to seven kilometers. And essentially, they found that there wasn’t an association with self reported issues and turbines.”
Several members of the public took issue with the fact the study he referred to was published in 2014. It can be found online here.
One woman raised concerns about “wind turbine syndrome.”
Taylor said peer-reviewed information did not show an effect from wind turbine noise.
He pointed out that sound is logarithmic, and 40 dBA is considered a “quiet library.”
Others raised concerns about possible impacts on livestock and wildlife.
Infrasound (low frequency sound that cannot be heard by the human ear) was brought up by one woman, concerned about possible health effects. Taylor referred back to the aforementioned federal study.
There was discussion about the application to reduced the setback from 1,000 metres to 750 metres.
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Fossil fuels
One woman asked the oil pipeline company, “What’s wrong with fossil fuels?”
The Enbridge rep replied, “We’re not saying there’s anything wrong with fossil fuels,” to some laughter in the room
One man wondered why Canada had to “clean our country up,” when we’re selling coal to China?
Why Weyburn?
Another woman asked why Weyburn was chosen, and why it would be so close to the city such that would affect “so many more people than jus the farmers? It is very close to the city limits.”
Taylor explained, “The project was initially sited by EDF Renewables, another developer. We actually just purchased the project at the end of June, just under a month ago.”
As for why, Taylor said there was a “fantastic wind resource, connection to high voltage transmission lines, lower residency in the area.”
He added there were “willing landlords as well.”
“Enbridge had a better path forward to bring the project online,” Taylor said in response to a question about why EDF was out, adding “EDF didn’t have a path forward for the project.”
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When asked if Enbridge had completed any wind projects, Taylor said they had a number of projects completed across North America.
Enbridge’s website says, “Since 2002, we have invested in wind energy projects in five different countries, totaling 4,870 MW (gross)—or 2,117 MW (net)—of wind-power capacity globally, based on projects either in operation or under construction.”
That includes 23 wind farms in operation, planned or under construction.
Taxpayers
When pressed on who would be responsible for cost overruns, and whether taxpayers would be on the hook, Taylor said, “That’s for us and the Indigenous consortium to figure out.”
He added “It’s a private investment, at that stage.”
One man asked why, if six First Nations were involved, the project wasn’t being built on their land?
Taylor said there were a whole number of things that go into developing a site, and EDF had sourced the site initially.
When asked about SaskPower’s requirements regarding ownership, Taylor said, “In all SaskPower recent RFPs, they have included some requirement for indigenous equity ownership.”
Property values
One woman said, “Property values will plummet. Plummet! So when we’re all sick, are we just going to walk away?”
Taylor replied, “On that front, the outstanding research is there’s no impact on property values.”
The room broke into laughs of derision, with one person saying, “Welcome to the real world!”
Original contracts with landowners were signed in 2017 and renewed in 2023, according to Taylor.
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One man said, “I had no idea exactly where these were going until last night. Out of the people that signed up, I know of two who actually live in the area. The rest of the people, they own the land, and they live in Regina, or they live over there. They don’t even live here, and they signed up. So they took advantage of I’m going to call it a cash cow. Because they don’t have to listen to, they don’t have to look at it. They don’t have to watch it go around.”
Taylor said there are more landowners than that who live in the area.
One woman said she planted 16,000 trees around her property because she wants her privacy and to be away from everybody. “I can’t deal with a 200 metre (wind turbine). My trees are not going to deter that thing.”
Another woman said, “We all bought properties away from town. It’s our oasis. I have seven kids. And I go in my garden, looked up at the open blue sky, and a nice starry night. And I’m wondering, are ratepayers and taxpayers like all of us here, are we going to get any kind of compensation for these indirectly involved?”
“Who bears the liability when there’s a turbine failure? Is it the landowner?” one woman asked.
“No that’s Enbridge,” Taylor responded.
One man said he didn’t care if they make money, he just didn’t want wind turbines in his front window.
Another man said, “I own a section of land east of Weyburn. As of tonight, I found out I have five wind turbines within a half mile of my property. I’m pretty much surrounded. And you think I’m happy? No frickin’ way.”
“Don’t feel bad, Jim, I’ve got six,” added another man, when that number came up again.
One woman thought there should have been more notification beforehand that a project was in the works.
Taylor said it was the first step in presenting the project to the community and they will reaching out to surrounding landowners in a two kilometre radius. “The intent is to get the project in front of people, get their concerns, and work on mitigations.”
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Intermittent power
Pipeline Online asked about the fact they day before the open house, Alberta’s 1,568 wind turbines across 46 wind farms saw their output fall to zero megawatts, posing the question, “Why, as an energy company … are you investing in something that will produce zero?”
Taylor said, “Wind is an intermittent resource. That’s no secret to anyone. Enbridge is a pipeline company, but we are also interested in developing renewables. We have a large renewable base through America. We have invested in offshore renewables in Europe. So that we just come back to that intermittency, that is a factor with renewables.”
Pipeline Online asked, “Other than solar, because the sun goes down every night, is there any other form of energy that Enbridge invests in, where the entire fleet of 46 wind farms all goes down at the same time?”
“I guess not,” Taylor said, pointing out SaskPower that is looking to develop 3,000 megawatts of renewables.
Asked if there was any plan for Enbridge to involve battery or natural gas backup power for the wind farm, Taylor said, “Not at this time.”
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Reclamation
Regarding reclamation at the end of the project, Taylor said they would salvage as much as possible. Steel recycling recovers some of the cost.
He pointed out the SunBridge project near Gull Lake which operated from 2002-2022. “That’s already been decommissioned and reclaimed”
He said that project had reached the end of its power purchase agreement with SaskPower, and there was no further alignment going forward on that project. Shane Quewezance, advisor, community and Indigenous engagement with Enbridge, said that the community of Gull Lake “actually liked it. They wanted to keep it, and were actually quite angry we were decommissioning it.”
Taylor said, “Any good site, you’d first look at repowering it. We’d look to re-use whatever we can from the facility to go forward, if possible.”
He said the base would typically be dug down to about a metre. The remainder of the foundation would remain in the ground.
Political pressure
Several of those present felt that the rural municipal council should have pressure applied to it in opposition to any setback changes and the project in general. There was at least one councilor and the reeve of the RM of Weyburn present, but they didn’t speak. Taylor said, “It’s not their project. We’re applying to them.”
“It’s not their project to deliver on.”
The mayor of Weyburn was also present, but didn’t speak.
Michael Weger, who is the Saskatchewan Party candidate for Weyburn in the October provincial election was present and asked what he thought of project, but he responded he was there to learn about it.
Weyburn-Big Muddy MLA Dustin Duncan, who is also Minister Responsible for SaskPower, was out of town during the time of the open house.
Taylor said the consultation would continue until November. He noted Enbridge is negotiating a power purchase agreement with SaskPower.
Who did you piss off?
While there was a lot of tension in the room, there was levity, too.
One woman said she would go along with the project, if only we could have plastic straws back.
“Who did you piss off at Enbridge that you ended up here?” one man asked the engineer, to a room full of laughter.
“I love my job,” Taylor replied.
Pipeline Online provides the in-depth coverage on energy issues in this province that no other media comes close to. For comparison, this is what the Weyburn Review wrote.
Pipeline Online does NOT receive federal journalism subsidies, and it will NOT allow the federal government to limit its freedom of speech, as it is now moving to regulate podcasts. With recent action from Facebook to block news links, it’s important to follow Pipeline Online in other manners. The easiest is to check each morning at PipelineOnline.ca, with the top story posted at 7 a.m. Monday to Friday, and additional coverage throughout the day and weekend. But you can also follow on LinkedIn and Twitter. You can follow editor Brian Zinchuk online at LinkedIn as well (you’ll see more stories that way). You can subscribe to a weekly newsletter. And if you wish to advertise and support this journalism, call 306-461-5599.
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