Solar projects proposed near Barwick & Fort Frances airport
Two more solar projects are being proposed for the Rainy River District.
Toronto-based Carbon Free Solar is behind the projects.
One is proposed north of Barwick, with the second to be located west of the Fort Frances airport in Miscampbell township.
The company’s Vice-President of Project Development, Doug Deeks, says the region is ideal for such projects.
“There is grid capacity and grid lines that attract the opportunity to connect these projects,” says Deeks.
“And it is a very sunny spot for Ontario, one of the two or three spots in Ontario that receive the most sun hours in the year. Those are clear sky sun hours.”
Both projects would sit on private land that would be leased by Carbon Free.
The project in Miscampbell would have the capacity of generating up to 140 megawatts (MW) of power, while the one north of Barwick would generate up to 50 MW and would have 50% ownership by nearby First Nations.
There are as many as five projects proposed in the district by different companies, but Deeks says theirs differ in that they are promoting them as agrivoltaic projects.
“These projects will incorporate livestock grazing, and in some cases, they’ll still run a hay crop, as these projects will be designed differently.”
“The modules or the panels themselves will be spread out a little bit more. They’re double glass-sided, meaning some light passes right through to the ground so you have a better ability to grow forage under these panels and to support livestock.”
Open houses in Barwick and Alberton township will provide further details.
Deeks says the meetings are also important steps in the process.
“These projects have to go through a rigorous environmental permitting at the provincial level, so community consultation, community input is a key part of that exercise,” says Deeks.
Deeks says they have conducted a number of land use and environmental studies over the past several months, with the results to be outlined at the meetings.
Carbon Free is one of many companies seeking approval in a competitive process that will see the government’s electricity regulator, Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO), making the final decision on which projects are granted contracts to supply power to the provincial grid.
All fuel sources for electricity generation are competing at the same time.
The IESO is expected to make its decisions next April.
Deeks says if they are successful, construction could take place on both projects by 2028.
The public meeting on the project north of Barwick will take place on Tuesday, September 23, at the Barwick Community Centre beginning at 6 p.m.
The meeting for the project west of the Fort Frances airport will take place on Wednesday, September 24, at the Alberton Township municipal office, also at 6 p.m.
