Enbridge has been a part of southern Saskatchewan for more than 75 years, delivering the oil and gas and renewable energy we all rely on every day. Being a good neighbour within the communities we serve – and an ability to adapt to the changing needs of society – is how we’ve been able to achieve that.
When Enbridge introduced the Seven Stars Energy Project to the Weyburn community at our first open house in July, we were eager to share preliminary plans to develop a wind farm similar in scale to the nearby Golden South and Bekevar projects.
We were excited to begin dialogue on a project that will provide renewable power to 100,000 Saskatchewan homes annually and generate significant, sustained local and regional economic benefits during two seasons of construction and over its anticipated 30-year lifespan.
It was immediately apparent that residents southeast of the city had concerns about wind turbines operating in proximity to their homes and farms.
It was clear we needed more time to listen, seek out and gather input from residents.
And so, in the fall, we took a pause and pledged to deepen our engagement with the community. As a direct result of feedback received, we’re now sharing some important enhancements to the Seven Stars project:
• We’ve revised our project design substantively, moving turbines further from residential locations to align with local zoning bylaws;
• We’ve moved eight of the turbines from the RM of Weyburn to a more remote area in the RM of Griffin;
• To optimize turbine layout, Enbridge is pursuing Neighbour Agreements with some landowners who wouldn’t otherwise directly benefit from the project;
• To address concerns about continuously flashing lights, we’ve committed to install turbine tower lighting that activates only when aircraft is detected in the vicinity; and,
• We’ve lengthened our original project timeline to continue to engage the community in our development plans.
These enhancements, we believe, are indicative of Enbridge’s commitment to getting the details of this project right. This came as a result of conversations with people of the community and those conversations will continue.
We’ve seen so often in Saskatchewan and throughout our entire footprint across North America how important strong local economies are to creating and maintaining thriving, vibrant communities. The Seven Stars Project will create well-paying construction and operations jobs and contracting opportunities for local goods and service providers.
It will generate ongoing tax revenues to build and maintain schools, hospitals and roads, and stimulate local economies. It will result in grants and sponsorships from Enbridge that support community-driven, not-for-profit programs and initiatives.
Over its anticipated 30-year lifespan, we expect the Seven Stars project will create more than $100 million ($3.4 million to $4 million annually) in estimated economic benefits for the Weyburn region.
We’ll be talking about these benefits and more as we continue to engage residents in the days and weeks ahead. In the meantime, we’re happy to answer any questions you may have about the project by email ([email protected]) or by visiting enbridge.com/sevenstarsenergy.
