Construction is underway on a new $90-million wind energy project southeast of Sussex.
The Neweg Energy Project is a partnership between Natural Forces and the Mi’gmaq United Investment Network (MUIN), representing eight First Nation communities.
Amy Pellerin, director of Canadian developments with Natural Forces, said construction of the six turbine foundations is complete.
Pellerin said the turbine components, which arrived by boat at the Port of Saint John, have begun making their way to the site.
“We’re right on schedule for starting the project commissioning late this fall and then we expect to be fully operational by December 2024,” Pellerin told our newsroom.
The Neweg Energy Project is the first initiative under the Renewables Expressions of Interest issued by NB Power in 2023.
Project will power 8,000 homes
Officials said the six turbines will have a capacity of around 25 megawatts, generating enough energy to power around 8,000 homes.
NB Power will purchase the electricity produced, which the utility has said will save more than $13 million over the project’s anticipated 30-year lifespan.
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The project will be located near the existing five-turbine Wocawson Energy Project, which has been in operation since December 2020.
“When we originally proposed the Wocawson Energy Project, we had permitted for two phases of that project, so the Neweg Energy Project is a second phase to that,” said Pellerin.
“The benefit is that we already had all of our permits in place for this project, and we were able to use some of the infrastructure that was built for the Wocawson project for this one, such as some of the access roads and the substation and the transmission line.”
Indigenous partnerships
Natural Forces has a history of partnering with Indigenous communities and organizations as part of its projects.
The company partnered with Tobique First Nation for the Wocawson project and the 10-turbine Burchill Wind Project in Saint John.
“We feel that it’s a real opportunity for the Nations to really participate in how these projects are developed and built and operated but also make decisions in how these projects come to be,” said Pellerin.
“There’s so much capability for knowledge transfer and for the Nations to really learn from these partnerships and then go on and develop their own projects without needing a developer or, in some cases, that perhaps they’re the ones leading the charge and they invite us to participate.”
It is also an incredible opportunity for the First Nation communities to receive benefits and revenue from the projects, she added.
