The Answer my friends, is blowing in the wind, the answer is blowing in the wind!

It could be a brave new world ahead for Podunk, should the latest economic plan come to pass for the North Coast. Katabatic Power put on a public information session on Wednesday night, in hopes of convincing the locals that a string of windmill turbines on the back side of Mount Hays would be a welcome addition to the city's economy.

Katabatic put their best foot forward on Wednesday, going so far as to say that if they weren’t wanted, then they would just pack up and disappear into the wind. But before they hit the Gulf Stream, they laid out a rather interesting and ambitious development outline as to what Prince Rupert might see once the project was up and running. While plans are very much in the preliminary phase, Katabatic suggested up to twelve full time jobs may be created with the creation of the Mount Hays wind farm. They have further details on what they have planned for the area on their website.

Over at princerupert.com there is an examination of the current company and some links to the past from the COO of a few other similar companies. Stock market information and background info on some of those companies is provided on that website, for those looking to investigate the issue of wind power a little further.

In the end, the progress or abandonment of the idea will be decided by the people of Podunk, through their municipal councilors. That is of course, providing the project gets past the initial phase of exploration and financing. The history of the city is littered with the abandoned plans of somebody with the next great idea, some get closer to fruition than others. One hopes that when this one is decided one way or another, that the people Prince Rupert won’t be the ones left twisting in the wind!

Below for your information is the Podunkicized version of the Daily News story on the information session from Wednesday.

WINDS OF CHANGE HEADED FOR REGION
Leanne Ritchie
Daily News
Thursday, March 2, 2006
Page One

A $48 million project that would see the installation of 14 wind turbines on the back side of Mount Hays could be the tip of the iceberg when it comes to developing a North Coast wind farm industry, said Tony Duggleby, president of Katabatic Power.

The former Rupert resident spoke about the project that his company will be submitting to B. C. Hydro at the beginning of April. If it is accepted, they hope to proceed with construction and operation by 2008.

“This will be the first wind farm in B. C. if this goes ahead,” said Duggleby at a public meeting last night.

If the Mount Hays project goes well and people support the development in the North Coast region – one of the most suitable regions in the world for wind energy development – other projects will start to develop and there is the possibility down the road for the development of enough farms to support local manufacturing.

“If people say ‘this is god awful and we don’t want this.’ We will go away,” he said. “If they say “This is good.” You will probably see a lot more of this.”

The company is introducing its project because B. C. Hydro has put out a call for new power generation projects and the Mount Hays site has a number of advantages that make it a good candidate to be B. C.’s first wind farm, he said.

“Any time you do something like this, when you step out of the gate, it is wise not to take on a difficult project,” said Duggleby.

Some of the advantages include Wantage Road leads to the site, transmission lines are reasonably close by and the fact that there is room in the transmission lines for the power that would be produced.

“You have some elements already taken care of that you need for success.” he said.

In addition, B. C. Hydro collected three years of wind data at the site, so Katabatic knows what wind resources exist. The company hopes to install two new tests mast today to expand that data.

Duggleby gave the public at the meeting a primer on the project. It would include installing 13 or 14 wind turbines – propellers up in the sky on poles – on the back side of Mount Hays. The blades of three or four sets of turbines would be visible from town as well as one entire turbine. The turbines can be heard up to 300 feet away but would not be heard in town. The project would employ up to around 12 people when operational he said. The poles are made of steel and the blades of the turbine feather to ensure maximum power is being caught by the wind.

They are large, with the total diameter of the blades being the length of two city blocks and each tower and propeller is 70,000 tonnes. Yet the base only takes up 12 feet, he said and the blades are high up. The turbines don’t stop people from using the area where the farm is located for most of the year. Only when the blades need de-icing would the area be restricted. This would be about one week a year in Prince Rupert’s climate.

The turbines spin at about 15 rotations per minute, a speed that makes them visible to birds. Duggleby noted the Ontario Wind Power Task Force recently concluded that modern wind turbines cause fewer bird deaths than a standard residential house.

The turbines can produce power with wind speeds starting at eight or nine miles an hour and up to 50 to 60 miles an hour after which they shut down. The project is expected to generate enough to power 12,000 homes. Wind is currently the only commercially viable form of renewable energy, he said. Katabatic should know by August whether their project has been selected by B. C. Hydro, at which point they would commence complete public consultations and present visuals. They have already contacted local First Nations and also hope to engage them in the discussion. If they get approval from Hydro, they would then seek financing.

Duggleby said they are open to answering questions and want people to start thinking about the project and if it’s something they support. The company can be contacted through Katabatic’s website – www.katabaticpower.com and will keep the community updated as the project proceeds.