Beothuk Energy consulting public over western Newfoundland wind farm projects

Beothuk Energy Inc. has been on a bit of a charm offensive recently, hosting information sessions in the western Newfoundland communities of Stephenville and Corner Brook relating to the company’s proposed wind turbine farms and energy projects.
Beothuk Energy chairman and CEO Kirby Mercer and Talon Energy Services president Terry King have been presenet during these meetings to answer questions from the public and concerned stakeholders.
The proposed $466 million Newfoundland wind farm is located about 30 kilometres offshore in Bay St. George, nearby both communities, with a generating capacity of 180 megawatts, generating electricity at a cost of approximately 10 cents per killowatt-hour.
Water depths at the site average about 40 metres.
According to Mercer, Beothuk has been in conversation with eight groups representing major power utilities and independent energy companies regarding the company’s Newfoundland and Nova Scotia wind projects.
The consortium putting this project together includes Seimens Offshore Wind, who will provide the actual turbines, Talon Energy Services, Jacob Capital Management, Maderra Engineering and Talon Energy Services.
Talon has previous experience with offshore energy projects, having built a flare boom for the Hebron oil project as well as sub-sea modules for Husky Oil at Porte aux Basques.
Beothuk has also previously proposed a $4 billion wind farm 20 kilometres from Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, where 120 wind turbines would generate upwards of 1,000 megawatts of energy for sale to New England through a 370-kilometre subsea cable called the Can-Am Link.
The site of the Yarmouth wind farm are in shallow waters, generally no deeper than 30 metres or less 20 kilometres out to the site, and are outside of shipping lanes and commercial fishing grounds.
Renewable energy projects like Beothuk’s wind farms, and also the Maritime Link, are providing attractive alternatives to Maritimers returning home from the Alberta oil fields, and signal a turn towards the future for a region that has historically been dependent on fossil fuels.
Beothuk’s vision for the future sees five proposed wind farms, two located in Newfoundland at St. George’s Bay and Burgeo Banks, and one project each located in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, altogether producing a total of 4,000 megawatts of energy.