Residents see battle lost as wind turbines go up

Work is underway on a $60-million wind farm project in eastern P.E.I., and a group of residents opposed to the project now see their battle as over.

For 250 years, Anne Marie O'Shea's family has enjoyed a pristine, rural setting in Hermanville. Next summer, the view out the window will be different, as 10 wind turbines will line Northside Road in Hermanville and Clearspring.

"So when you look back there, they'll be abutting my property on the other end," said O'Shea.

Last year, a group of landowners fought to keep the project from going ahead. But contractors started pouring the concrete pads for the turbines last week, and O'Shea said they realized they'd lost the battle. She still doesn't believe it was a fair fight.

"We weren't given a voice, and we weren't heard. And all the letters that we sent in were really not looked at. And that's disappointing," she said.

Energy Minister Wes Sheridan maintains a majority of locals support the province's project. The windfarm will be operating by November, generating 30 megawatts of power. Sheridan said that will make P.E.I. a leader in wind energy.

O'Shea said the province offered her financial compensation, as it has with other landowners, but she turned it down.

"I think it's going to affect this area forever," said O'Shea.

"You'll never get that back. Ever."

Sheridan said the local work is being done by Island contractors. The turbines are currently being manufactured in Trenton, N.S.

For mobile device users: Was the province right to build the wind farm in Hermanville?