AULDS COVE — A proposed 147-megawatt wind energy project near Aulds Cove has formally entered Nova Scotia’s environmental assessment process, opening a public review period for a new grid-scale renewable power development in Guysborough County.
On Dec. 18, Green Current Renewable Energy Development Inc. registered the Aulds Cove Wind Project for environmental assessment under Part IV of the Environment Act. The move marked the project’s first step into the provincial regulatory process and triggered a public comment period that runs until Friday, Feb. 6.
According to the registration documents, the project would include up to 21 wind turbines and associated infrastructure, including access roads, electrical systems and a substation. At full build-out, the turbines would generate up to 147 megawatts of electricity – enough, the project summary states, to power more than 50,000 homes.
Peter Archibald, the project’s senior spokesperson, said the development is intended to supply electricity to Nova Scotia’s power grid, not export markets. “Absolutely, for Nova Scotia, for Nova Scotians,” he noted in a phone interview with The Journal. “Our project is strictly for Nova Scotians … to be used by Nova Scotians.”
The proposed wind farm would be located near the communities of Aulds Cove, Mulgrave, Grosvenor and Frankville. While some nearby communities lie in Antigonish County, the public notice states the project is entirely within the Municipality of the District of Guysborough.
Project documents state that 87 per cent of the project footprint would be on privately owned property, with the remaining 13 per cent involving Crown land for turbines, roads and electrical infrastructure. “The main point here is we’re primarily private lands,” Archibald said.
The environmental assessment registration outlines the physical scale of the project. Each turbine would reach a height of about 199.5 metres to the tip of the blade and generate up to seven megawatts of power. Noise and shadow flicker modelling indicate levels below provincial thresholds, with predicted turbine noise at nearby homes under 40 decibels and shadow flicker limited to less than 30 hours per year.
The project would affect approximately 6.6 hectares of wetlands, primarily related to access roads and turbine pads. The summary states that any wetland alteration would require provincial approval and compensation in accordance with existing regulations.
The documents also outline consultation with Mi’kmaq communities, including Paqtnkek and We’koqma’q First Nations and the Kwilmu’kw Maw-klusuaqn Negotiation Office. A Mi’kmaq Ecological Knowledge Study is underway as part of the assessment process.
Construction, which would take approximately 15 months, is expected to begin in late 2026, pending regulatory approval, with commercial operation targeted for 2027. The operational lifespan of the project is estimated to be about 25 years.
“The Aulds Cove Wind Project will provide significant environmental and economic benefits by generating clean energy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions,” states the project summary. “Overall, the project is expected to have positive long-term effects on Nova Scotia’s environment and economy while supporting the province’s transition to renewable energy.”
Archibald described Green Current as a small, locally based group. “There’s six of us in the company,” he said.
The registration now opens the project to public scrutiny. As part of the comment period, people are invited to submit written comments to Nova Scotia Environment and Climate Change until the deadline. Comments received will be posted on the department’s website, with personal contact information removed before publication.
Registration documents may be reviewed at designated locations, including Canada Post outlets in Havre Boucher and Mulgrave, the department’s regional office in Port Hawkesbury, and the provincial environmental assessment registry website.
A decision by the Minister of Environment and Climate Change is expected on or before Monday, Feb. 16.
