Shelburne Free Press
https://shelburnefreepress.ca/?p=5095
Export date: Mon Nov 25 4:41:47 2024 / +0000 GMT

Thank you Dufferin Wind Power


Dear editor:

Thank you Connie Roberts for putting a voice to the rather obscure Dufferin Wind Power Inc, in your Letter to the Editor last week, regarding my letter of the previous week. I welcome your response to the matter of my “serious errors”.

To your points:

Firstly: Thank you for clarifying that the  'Community Liaison Committee' was a requirement of the MOE approval process, not something DWPI thought up. Considering that the agenda of DWPI is to put up wind turbines, I would point out that the exercise is a mandatory ‘requirement'.  DWPI is only required to go through the exercise, not pay any attention to if the consensus is negative.

Secondly: You note that you have “guaranteed decommissioning of the project with a security”. How much? In 20 years, with inflation, will it be enough? It's estimated that each turbine will cost approx. $3m and expected to return approx. $7m. and today's decommissioning cost is approx. 1$M x 49 turbines = $49M. DWPI will have a healthy return on investment. Investors will have many ways to duck out the door on decommisioning. I only hope the township isn't left waving your guarantee in the air as you disappear.

Thirdly: My letter commented on a “30m dia. concrete base”. The concrete base comprises of an 18.5m dia x 3.5m ‘foundation' and a 22.5m dia x 1.5m ‘crane pad', both of which you have to dispose of, rebar and all.

Lastly: Your argument about water levels simply doesn't hold water. Ontario Hydro has no significant water starvation winter or summer. As for the adequacy of wind, I note you didn't challenge my assertion that wind turbines only work, on average, 28% of the time and 85% of the time when not needed. When the wind don't blow, the turbines don't go! The sad truth is that their power output is nevertheless prioritized. Ergo, the consumer pays 11.5¢ per kwh, while hydro is 4.5¢ kwh, nuclear 6.5¢ kwh. Ontario shuts down hydro and sometimes nuclear to accommodate wind. We buy wind at 11.5¢ and sell it to the USA for $2.8¢ kwh! To date, at a loss of over $3B and growing fast.

Perhaps you'd be so kind as to tell this audience what their plight is in 20 years when turbines wear out, there is no more government subsidy and wind generation has disappeared. What is our infrastructure for supplying electricity?  Ontario wll have blown over $60B for what? Dufferin Wind Power Inc and all the other wind companies will have a glass of champagne, pat each other on the back, while Ontario's consumers are left with the bill. If we spent the same amount on nuclear, we'd have a reliable source of clean energy for the next several generations.

John Wiggins,

Collingwood
Post date: 2013-12-11 15:52:39
Post date GMT: 2013-12-11 20:52:39

Post modified date: 2013-12-18 14:10:00
Post modified date GMT: 2013-12-18 19:10:00

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