Wind farm quashed, but one turbine still coming

KENSINGTON - The wind turbine that will power Kensington's sewage treatment facility has gotten the green light to be shipped into Canada.
The turbine, which has a 37-metre tower and 21-metre blade width, was expected to be up and running by late February or early March.
But issues with its control panel, which had to pass inspection before it entered the country, held up the turbine's arrival in Kensington.
"The inspection has been done and any deficiencies have been addressed," town manager Geoff Baker said. "The turbine is due to be shipped from Vermont on May 8. The trucks have been booked, so the turbines should be in the town by the weekend of the eighth of May or early the following week."
Council recently decided to scrap plans for a 10-unit wind farm, but the one turbine on order is still coming in. Baker said since the base is already in place, once the turbine arrives, it should only take a few days to get it up and operational.
"All the pre-electrical work is done, the foundation is in, the transformer and things of that nature are already installed," he added. "All we need to do is to erect the turbine and tie it into the electrical system and we're ready.
"It's been a long time coming."
By month's end, it's expected the pollution control plant will be off the grid.
The project carries a $521,000 price tag.
Baker said the town is now trying to calculate how much the turbine's delay has cost in electricity.
The town had expected to cut its electrical costs this year by $45,000 if the turbine had been operational by March 1.
The sewage treatment plant utilizes about 280,000-kilowatt hours of energy annually.
The turbine, which has a 37-metre tower and a 21-metre diameter blade width, is expected to generate 281,000-kilowatt hours.

nmacphee@journalpioneer.com