Wind power still viable: Sea Breeze

Robert Barron
Daily News Nanaimo
July 28, 2005

The demise of one wind power proposal for Vancouver Island doesn't mean wind power is dead as an energy option for the Island, says Paul Manson.

Manson, president of Sea Breeze Power Corp., said wind power is seeing record expansion around the world, and he expects it to play a much larger role in British Columbia's future energy needs.

"The World Engineering Council has named coastal B.C. as the most economical wind resource in the world," said Manson.

Manson's Vancouver-based company is planning to build a wind farm with up to 150 windmills at its Knob Hill Wind Farm on northern Vancouver Island that the company expects will produce 450 megawatts of power, enough energy for about 350,000 people.

Another wind energy company, Stothert Power, which had an agreement with BC Hydro to deliver about 58 megawatts of power from its proposed farm near Holberg, also in north Vancouver Island, recently cancelled the agreement.

The company, which would have built the first wind power generators in B.C., terminated the much-touted agreement after determining the site didn't produce enough wind and the price of steel to build the wind farm had risen too high to be make the operation profitable.

Manson said, unlike Stothert's site which is situated on the side of a steep mountain and would likely have a lot of turbulence, the Sea Breeze site's topography is flat with less turbulence and less wear on the turbines.

"As for the rising price of steel, of course that means some impacts on our profitability, but this can't be looked at in isolation," he said.

"The price of most manufacturing goods are going up these days, but we don't see it as a deal breaker."

Manson said the company is optimistic BC Hydro's attitudes towards green, reusable energy producers are changing since its last Call for Tender process, which resulted in the recently scuttled decision to build a gas-fired generation plant at Duke Point.

"Recognition is finally dawning of the tremendous unused assets that exist here when wind power is tied into Hydro's current dam systems," he said.

"We didn't participate in Hydro's last Call for Tender process as Hydro put a ceiling price on the bids and wouldn't consider any bids higher than that which caused a shocking rate of attrition among potential energy producers who then walked away.

"However, we expect this fall's Call for Tender process will be open to all bids and we're optimistic we'll see success with our bid," Manson said.