The tiny community of 400 people nearby Caraquet is struggling with the project for more than three years. The project was led by Naveco Power, a renewable energy company in Fredericton. The community has prevailed. “There is great relief … now the stress can be stopped,” said Martin Dion, a resident of Anse-Bleue. NB Power has confirmed that the project of the wind farm will not proceed. “NB Power and Chaleur Ventus have not been able to reach a mutually acceptable solution to the late delivery of the Chaleur Ventus Wind Project,” NB Power spokesman Marc Belliveau said in an email. Some Anse-Bleue residents have opposed the project from the beginning. They were worried that the five wind turbines would be too close to the houses and would disturb the peace of the community. Martin Dionne said he moved to Anse-Bleue from Quebec four years ago because he wanted to live in a peaceful community near the water. (RADIO-CANADA / ALIX VILLENEUVE) More than 85 percent of residents signed a report against wind work in early 2020. Dionne said he and the rest of the community only found out about the project in 2019, two years after his proposal. She said there are many reasons why wind turbines are not being sought, including the dangers to the community’s well system and the potential impacts on its diverse wildlife found in the environmental impact assessment process. Some residents were worried about the “flicker of shadow”, a flashing phenomenon created by sunlight and shadow from wind turbines in their homes. “Everyone has different reasons and most people do not want it here; no means no,” Dionne said. Dionne said much of the community is in favor of renewable energy, but there were too many risks in the case of this project.
The city sued
The news that the wind farm project will no longer take place comes just two weeks after Naveco Power filed a lawsuit against the city of Bathurst. Naveco Power entered into an agreement with the city in 2017, giving the city the main ownership of the wind farm. The agreement allowed the project to fall under a provincial law that allows NB Power to purchase up to 20 megawatts of energy from small-scale renewable energy projects owned by a majority municipality, nonprofit or First Nations group. The city had applied for municipal lending approval to borrow up to $ 20 million to fund the project, but withdrew its application two years after the initial agreement. Bathurst Mayor Paolo Fongemie said the decision to withdraw from the project was based on “cost-benefit or return-benefit for citizens”. On June 3, Naveco Power, Windforce Investments and Chaleur Ventus filed a lawsuit against the city of Bathurst. Filed in the Court of Queen’s Bench in New Brunswick, the green energy company accused the town of “bad faith” in connection with the project agreement. The three plaintiffs said they had already invested more than $ 3.5 million and wanted to recover the funds. Naveco Power CEO Amit Virmani declined to comment on the condition of the wind farm or the case. The city of Bathurst did not respond to a request for comment.
