The Burchill Wind Project near St. John, N.J., reached a milestone on Friday when its turbines started spinning for the first time.
Construction of the 10 turbine wind farms is expected to be completed in the spring and will power the city of St. John.
“To get a wind farm up and running, it’s huge. As you know, this wind farm has been in development for years,” said Natural Forces vice president of project finance. Austen Hughes said.
An independent power producer, Natural Forces, is a partial owner of the wind farm. Neqotkuk First Nation (previously he was known as Tobique First Nation) is the majority owner.
Hughes said the project timeline has been delayed due to COVID-19 disruptions and supply chain issues.
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In May 2022, a St. John Energy spokesperson said at least five turbines would be operational by Christmas. A second turbine is expected to be on by the end of this week.
Despite the disruption, Hughes estimates that costs “wouldn’t have changed significantly.”
“(The delays) will lead to the winter construction phase, or construction work, but it will only get more complicated and longer because of the weather,” he told Global News in an interview on Tuesday.
Once all 10 turbines have been completed and are in full commercial operation, a Power Purchase Agreement with St. John Energy will commence.
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“While it is difficult to determine whether there is a direct connection to green energy, overall, 15% of St. John Energy’s requirements will come from wind farms,” said St. John Energy’s Engineering Manager Andrew Ahern said. .
In recent months, St. John Energy has installed new poles and power lines to send power back to the city. The Burchill Wind Project is located about 15 kilometers from St. John.
As the project nears completion, the owner and utility will benefit, but so will the customer.
“Basically, we have secured affordable renewable sources of energy for the next 25 years, so sustainable rates will certainly serve our customers well into the future,” said Ahearn. .
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