NEWS

Mount Hays wind farm plan key issue tonight

Daily News (Prince Rupert)

March 1, 2006

A privately held company, Katabatic Power, is among the latest gust of wind farm proponents to sweep across the North Coast. And at this time, they are proposing a development in the city's backyard.

Jonathan Raymond, the Chief Operating Officer for Katabatic Power, said they have property on the south side of Mount Hays - the back of the mountain when viewed from the city - that has been permitted and they hope to install 13 to 14 wind turbines there by 2008.

Katabatic will present its plans to the public at a meeting from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Crest Hotel this evening.

The company is currently investigating two land-based wind farm sites - one on Mount Hays and the other on Banks Island.

Prince Rupert Mayor Herb Pond said he met with Katabatic Power's CEO, and former Rupert resident, Tony Duggleby on Monday to view the project plans.

"If the question is 'is this company for real?' the answer is 'yes, they certainly are,'" he said.

According to the company's web site, the Mount Hays site could have the potential to generate enough energy to power 36,000 homes and is conveniently located near the British Columbia electrical grid.

Located on the mainland side of the Hecate Strait, the Banks Island site also offers "favorable topography for development" and Katabatic Power holds the development rights to a 40,000-hectare parcel of land on the north end of the island.

Duggleby is no stranger to B.C.'s developing wind farm industry. He was the former Chief Operating Officer for Sea Breeze Power Corp., which is developing the Knob Hill Wind Farm north of Port Hardy, on Vancouver Island.

Raymond said that B.C. Hydro has had the investigative meteorological test masts in the Hays site for a number of years, so the company already has data showing the site's potential. They also plan to install two test masts immediately.

Katabatic is the second company in the last few months to announce it will be investigating wind farm potential on the North Coast.

In January, English Bay Energy Limited, which has 283 wind turbines in the Tehachapi Pass in Southern California, announced it would like to install four test masts on the North Coast near Banks Island, Porcher Island, McCauley Island and Stephens Island.

"I'm told, surrounding us is some of the best wind in the world in terms of quality and quantity," said Pond, who is enthusiastic about the opportunities for local employment and even local manufacturing of turbine blades.

Interest in developing the Northwest's wind farm potential began several years ago when a company called Nai Kun began exploring the potential for an offshore wind farm site on the northern most tip of Haida Gwaii.

Wind farms generate electricity using turbines and the electricity is then put back into the grid and sold to the B.C. Hydro. One challenge facing the wind farm developers is the cost of connecting to the power grid. The Hays proposal is the closest so far to the existing infrastructure.

Pond said one benefit of the developing wind power industry on the North Coast would be the necessary upgrade of the current power line connecting Prince Rupert to Terrace. Added power, he said, would also benefit new industries that wished to develop in the area.