A project to generate more green energy in Dufferin County is facing some opposition. It’s not because of how the energy is being harvest but instead how and where the power lines to carry it will be built.
The project has been proposed by Dufferin Wind Power Inc. and would see 49 wind turbines built on the Melancthon landscape but how the windmills will be connected to the power grid is still in question.
Dufferin Wind Power wants to run the power lines form the windmills to a main power station in Orangeville through the Township of Amaranth. It would run along land where an old rail track is still in place.
In some places the line would be buried but primarily it would be above ground. This has some people upset because the land underneath the power lines could be off limits meaning that the snowmobile and recreation trail could be impacted and this could also affect potential plans for reviving the railroad.
“We’re on the edge here where the work force leaves here, they migrate out of this area every morning and a train or rapid transit would be of tremendous advantage and here is the corridor to do it. So if we’re going to protect transportation routes…here’s a plan where the province needs to step in,” says Amaranth Mayor Don Maciver.
CTV News spoke with Dufferin Wind Power on Thursday who in a written statement said “It’s not a common practice to bury high voltage transmission lines in the North America.”
In this case the company has agreed to bury the line through the Town of Shelburne and in an industrial area in Amaranth. The turbines are already under construction as part of the agreement with the Ontario Energy Board.
On Thursday night, Dufferin County council will vote on the issue about whether or not to move forward with the project with the line running along the old railroad track.
CTV’s Katherine Ward will be at the meeting Thursday night and will have the very latest tonight on CTV News at 11.
