New P.E.I. wind farm delayed

The P.E.I. Energy Corporation is pushing back its new wind farm project to 2020.

Initially, the province had hoped to build the 30-megawatt development at East Point by 2019.

But Heather MacLeod, the manager of energy assets for P.E.I. Energy Corporation, told CBC News a bylaw change in the Eastern Kings municipality has reduced the size of the area where turbines can be constructed.

MacLeod said they're retesting the wind regime within the smaller area at East Point, and also are looking at testing at least one other place in Hermanville.

"We've taken a bit of a step back, and we're going to be doing some wind resource analysis, which just means gathering some wind data and identifying appropriate land in Eastern Kings," she said.

"We're also looking at additional locations, just to determine where it makes the most sense."

The wind regime testing will take about a year.

100% wind power

MacLeod said once the new wind farm is operating, P.E.I. will see an increase in the number of days 100 per cent or more of the Island's electricity comes from wind.

From January to the end of September this year, there were four days where P.E.I. produced more wind energy than it used, and 365 hours over those months that 100 per cent or more of electricity came from wind.

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