Timeline On Wind Power Project Near Sayward To Be Accelerated

A proposed wind farm with 30 turbines is slated to be built northwest of Campbell River. This initiative is one of ten resource projects in British Columbia being fast-tracked to boost job creation in rural communities.

On February 4th, the provincial government announced that these ten projects, including the Brewster Wind Project, are expected to attract a total investment of $20 billion and generate about 8,000 jobs across the province.

Premier David Eby shared that these projects were selected after the government asked major business groups to propose quick-to-launch initiatives to create employment opportunities. Eby emphasized that these projects are “not dependent on the American market.”

“We’ve identified ten projects we can advance quickly, getting construction underway and people employed,” Eby stated.

The Brewster Wind Project, aiming for up to 200 megawatts of capacity from around 30 wind turbines, was proposed by Toronto-based Capstone Infrastructure as part of BC Hydro’s 2024 Call To Power.

In December, the provincial government revealed that wind farm projects will no longer need environmental assessments. Under current rules, wind projects that exceed 50 megawatts or have more than 15 turbines typically require such assessments.

Eby noted that the current list of projects represents only a “small fraction” of potential future initiatives. He mentioned that these projects are focused in “smaller, rural, and remote communities that will be most affected by these tariffs.”

While Eby did not specify exact timelines, he confirmed that new legislation would be introduced to support these projects.