Wind Watch is a registered educational charity, founded in 2005. |
Sask. Party attacks NDP wind power pledge
Credit: CBC News, www.cbc.ca 27 October 2011 ~~
Translate: FROM English | TO English
Translate: FROM English | TO English
New Democrat leader Dwain Lingenfelter’s promise to get more electricity from wind turbines is being criticized by the Saskatchewan Party.
The party says if elected on Nov. 7, an NDP government will add 400 megawatts of new wind power over four years.
But Sask. Party Leader Brad Wall says there’s a huge hole in the NDP platform because it’s not being costed out. According to SaskPower planning documents, large wind power projects have capital costs of between $2 million and $3 million per megawatt.
The government-owned power company says it already has 200 megawatts of new wind power projects planned between now and 2015.
The NDP promise suggests it would double that, with additional costs of between $400 million and $600 million.
However, Lingenfelter insists it won’t cost more to make that kind of a shift from carbon-burning power to wind.
“That won’t be a very big leap because SaskPower has the ability to do wind,” he said.
The details of how to pay for it will be figured out later, Lingenfelter said.
“That would all come as we sit down with SaskPower after the election – have a discussion,” he said.
Wall said that’s another example of the NDP making unaffordable promises.
“Are you going to make SaskPower borrow the money? Is it going to come from the general revenue fund? Or are people going to pay higher electricity rates?” Wall asked.
The wind power promise is part of the NDP’s environmental plan to ensure that by 2025, 50 per cent of the province’s electricity is clean, renewable energy.
This article is the work of the source indicated. Any opinions expressed in it are not necessarily those of National Wind Watch.
The copyright of this article resides with the author or publisher indicated. As part of its noncommercial educational effort to present the environmental, social, scientific, and economic issues of large-scale wind power development to a global audience seeking such information, National Wind Watch endeavors to observe “fair use” as provided for in section 107 of U.S. Copyright Law and similar “fair dealing” provisions of the copyright laws of other nations. Send requests to excerpt, general inquiries, and comments via e-mail.
Wind Watch relies entirely on User Funding |
(via Paypal) |
(via Stripe) |
Share: