The closest dwelling to the project, a seasonal cottage on public land, is located 827 m from wind turbine 2 and 1161 m from wind turbine 1, which is almost twice the limit required by Quebec regulations, which is 500 m.

The site was chosen by the municipality and not by the developers. For the site selection, the Maritime Community favoured an approach of consultation and discussion and carried out a balancing exercise of advantages and disadvantages, based on the best knowledge of the environment. It follows a major consultation conducted in 2007 followed by others in 2010 and 2012 which allowed the Maritime Community to designate the Dune-du-Nord sector as an industrial site dedicated to the production of wind energy and was zoned accordingly.

During these steps, several sites were analyzed by the Maritime Community with visual simulation and landscape integration tools. It took into account around thirty criteria provided for in the development plan.

The following sites were considered: the La Cormorandière sector, two sectors in Havre-aux-Basques, a dispersed scenario and the Dune-du-Nord sector. The Dune-du-Nord site was selected for several reasons, including that it meets the concerns of the population expressed during the 2007 consultation, is located far from residential areas and is close to the Hydro-Québec transmission line. In addition, the site meets Nav Canada’s requirements for aerial approaches, which is not the case for the La Cormorandière site. The park will be located on a stable and fixed dune and is located near an industrial sector (Seleine Mines).

Extreme climatic conditions require special flexibility and customized technological solutions. ENERCON wind turbines have specific components and functionalities when installed in a cold climate site.

On-site analysis of current wind data and estimated future wind data demonstrated that the type of wind turbine selected for the site was adequate to withstand the sometimes difficult climatic conditions of the Magdalen Islands.

In fact, the wind turbine model supplied by ENERCON has a control system that allows it to operate in stormy weather. This means that in very strong winds (from about 86 km/h) the wind turbine operates in a regulated manner until the cut-off wind speed has been reached (about 108 km/h), which avoids shutdown operations that would lead to considerable production losses. In the event of a storm, when the wind speed exceeds 108 km/h the wind turbine stops in a safety position.

ENERCON Canada tells us that this system (the “storm control”) was very effective during the passage of Dorian over Eastern Canada in early September 2019. In fact, where the transmission networks remained operational, only 10% of the wind turbines failed due to the storm, these were put back into service during the hours that followed.

A study commissioned by Dune-du-Nord Wind Farm  shows that ice formation on the blades will be much less frequent at the Dune-du-Nord site than on the average wind farm in Quebec. Despite this advantage, a blade heating system available with ENERCON turbines is installed, which will prevent problems caused by frost accumulation and ice projection.

The nearest chalet is located 827 m from wind turbine 1 and 1161 m from wind turbine 2. A summary simulation to estimate the noise perceived at this chalet is presented below. It takes into account the acoustic data of the wind turbine model considered and the main characteristics of the site.

 

The technological choice of serrations, comb-shaped devices installed on the trailing edge of the blades, makes it possible to reduce the sound impact, by reducing the vortices (the main cause of noise) generated by the passage of the wind turbine blades. They also have the advantage of transforming the sound emitted into a slightly higher-pitched sound, and therefore more easily absorbed by the atmosphere.

 

The specific noise level generated by the wind farm at the Petit Brick is thus estimated at its highest level at 36.5 dB(A), for wind turbines at full power. It should be noted that at full power, the natural environment (wind/rain) has a significant noise impact. For comparison, we find opposite levels in dB(A) of usual noise with the indication for wind turbines.

 

 

 

 

Reminder of the standard in Quebec: Maximum sound level of fixed sources

The evaluation acoustic level (LAr,1h) of a fixed source will be lower, at all times, for any reference interval of one continuous hour and at any point of noise reception, than the highest of the following sound levels: the residual noise level (as defined in the reference method in the glossary of part 2), or the maximum level permitted according to the zoning and the time of day, as mentioned in the following table:

 

Zoning*	Night	Day
I	40 dB(A)	45 dB(A)
II	45 dB(A)	50 dB(A)
III	50 dB(A)	55 dB(A)
IV	70 dB(A)	70 dB(A)

 

^*Zoning

I : Land intended for isolated or semi-detached single-family dwellings, schools, hospitals or other educational, health or convalescent service establishments. Land of an existing dwelling in an agricultural zone.

II : Territory intended for multiple dwelling units, mobile home parks, institutions or campsites.

III : Territory intended for commercial uses or recreational parks. However, the noise level provided for at night applies only within the property limits of establishments used for residential purposes. In other cases, the maximum noise level provided for during the day also applies at night.

Non-sensitive areas

IV : Area zoned for industrial or agricultural purposes. However, on the land of an existing dwelling in an industrial zone and established in accordance with the municipal regulations in force at the time of its construction, the criteria are 50 dB(A) at night and 55 dB(A) during the day.

Geotechnical studies were carried out in order to know the soil and its capacity to respond to the construction of the foundations of the planned wind turbines. An initial study was carried out by the company GHD, on the site of the wind project, in September 2017, to determine the properties of the soils and rock in place, the admissible bearing capacity of the soils, the type of foundations to be used, the level of the water table as well as the level and condition of the rock.

The drilling carried out revealed the presence of a thin vegetation cover followed by a deposit of sand followed by rock. In view of the results of the geotechnical study, the installation of the bases of the wind turbines will be carried out using a sheet pile method. The construction equipment that will see to their installation will be conventional piling equipment.

New surveys were carried out in 2019 at the exact location where the wind turbines will be installed to confirm the initial studies. The foundations were built in accordance with the results of these surveys and studies. Everything was validated by WSP, an independent engineering consulting firm.

Wildlife inventories were conducted on the project site in 2017 by the company PESCA. Discussions were held with representatives of the Gaspésie-Îles-de-la-Madeleine Wildlife Management Department of the Quebec Ministry of Forests, Wildlife and Parks (MFFP), in order to identify and take into consideration the wildlife issues associated with the project. The data collected during the inventories are presented in reports filed with the Ministry of the Environment and the Fight against Climate Change, with the application for a Certificate of Authorization, as a reference study.

In order to properly document the presence of Conrad’s corema on the wind turbine installation site, in the summer of 2018, Attention FragÎles and the Société de conservation des Îles-de-la-Madeleine jointly conducted an exhaustive inventory of all Conrad’s corema plants located in a vast area of the Dune du Nord floristic habitat, including the wind farm sector. By superimposing the plans of the planned infrastructures with the floristic inventory, all affected Conrad’s corema plants were identified. Of these, more than half were collected in order to be transplanted.

To maximize transplant survival success, transplant locations were selected based on the conditions at the sampling sites. Key conditions included terrain slope, presence of other plant species, including other Conrad’s corema plants, soil composition, male/female/mixed colony component, and root density on creeping branches. The intervention involved a team of three over a four-day period in late August 2019. Regular monitoring of the transplant plots was conducted and will continue for a few years. All plants have survived to date.

It should also be noted that following recommendations from local agencies, other significant impact mitigation measures have been implemented. In fact, large work areas have been moved from the initial plans in order to avoid certain sensitive areas containing Conrad’s corema plants or wetlands.

Throughout the work, regular visits are made by Attention FragÎles to the site to ensure the best protection of the immediate environment, to answer any questions from the contractor and to issue recommendations if necessary.

All interventions are also authorized and supervised by the MELCC.

Several consultations have been held in connection with the installation of wind turbines and the energy transition in the Magdalen Islands. As early as 2007, a public consultation was conducted by three independent commissioners who concluded that it was appropriate to install wind turbines in the Islands, taking into account the particularity of the environment from both an environmental and social point of view.

In 2010-2012, two consultations for the regulatory amendments required to the development plan took place.

In 2016, the maritime community conducted a public consultation on the territorial energy strategy which concluded in particular on the relevance of integrating more than 9 MW of locally produced renewable energy by 2025.

In 2017, the BAPE held a public consultation specifically on the project to establish a wind farm on the Dune-du-Nord in the floral habitat of Conrad’s corème.

Subsequently, various information sessions and open days were held by the project managers.

The municipality has primary responsibilities for land use planning. As such, it must ensure that the project complies with the municipality’s development framework and that the project holds all the permits and authorization certificates required for the construction and operation of a wind farm.

In addition, the municipality is a member of the liaison committee for the Dune-du-Nord Wind Farm, it is regularly informed of the progress of the project and it participates in discussions with other members and promoters to ensure that the project respects the concerns of the community.

The Maritime Community is also a member of the Gaspésie-Les-Îles-de-la-Madeleine Intermunicipal Energy Board and as such it collaborates with other Gaspésie communities in the development of community wind energy in our regions.

Local environmental organizations actively collaborate in environmental monitoring and follow-up and advise the project on reducing impacts; their representatives sit on the liaison committee and provide their expertise to ensure that the project meets the highest standards in environmental monitoring.

Special efforts have been made in collaboration with them to avoid, reduce and compensate for impacts on the habitat of the Conrad’s corema. Rigorous field monitoring is carried out by Attention Fragîles and all their recommendations are followed in order to minimize impacts on the habitat. Thanks to the participation of the Société de projet Dune-du-Nord, the Société de conservation des Îles-de-la-Madeleine will acquire three new properties in a private environment, i.e. thirty hectares of land that will have conservation status and that have biophysical characteristics similar to the site where the two wind turbines will be installed, including the presence of occurrences of the Conrad’s corema.

The progress of the Dune-du-Nord wind project is being monitored by a liaison committee whose mandate is to ensure that the project takes into account the concerns of the community. It ensures that the population is informed and listened to in order to promote local involvement in the entire project. It is made up of twelve members of the community divided into environmental, municipal, economic and community sectors who believe in the importance of being solution-oriented to continuously improve this collective project. This committee is, in our opinion, a remarkable model of a community participation process for sustainable development that is worthy of the complexity of the particular and fragile environment of the Magdalen Islands. You can read the mandate of the liaison committee on our website https://www.parceoliendunedunord.ca/membres/mandat/

Hydro-Québec announced in May 2018 its intention to connect the Magdalen Islands with an underwater cable in 2027.

Despite the connection of the archipelago, the Dune-du-Nord wind farm retains its advantages, in particular:

• The culmination of a strong desire on the part of the community to exploit the exceptional wind resource of the Magdalen Islands;
• Diversification of electricity generation sources allowing increased reliability of electricity supply;
• Hydro-Québec achieving significant savings on its production costs, before connection;
• The generation of clean energy using proven, efficient, latest-generation technology, enabling a substantial reduction in GHG emissions by 2020.

Furthermore, the project meets the Energy Strategy’s objective of integrating more than 9 MW of locally produced renewable energy by 2025. Indeed, the desire to establish a wind farm on the archipelago has existed for over a decade and is at least partly due to the unique wind resource of the Magdalen Islands, one of the best in Canada. In 2007, the Agglomeration of the Magdalen Islands created a Consultative Commission on Wind Development and conducted a public consultation in this context. Since then, various steps have been taken and have led to the current realization of this important project, including the launch of a call for tenders by Hydro-Québec in October 2015 and the announcement of the successful bid in March 2018.

The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) produced a major report in 2018 that highlights the urgency of acting now to initiate an energy transition and reduce greenhouse gas emissions in all sectors and at all levels. Locally, in the context where the Magdalen Islands are a major emitter of greenhouse gases with the thermal power plant, while already being impacted by climate change, particularly with increased storms and significant coastal erosion, it is important to begin the archipelago’s energy transition now and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2020, as the wind project will do.

The Dune-du-Nord wind farm project is in line with the objectives and targets of the Energy Strategy of the Maritime Community of the Magdalen Islands and makes it possible to achieve one third of the GHG reduction objectives that the municipality has set for itself, i.e. a 15% reduction in total emissions by 2025 (for electricity, heating, transportation). The strategy provides for the development of 9MW of renewable energy and in this sense the project largely meets this objective.

More generally, the project contributes significantly to achieving GHG reduction objectives by removing more than 17,000 Teq.CO2 of GHG emissions from Hydro-Québec’s autonomous networks, the equivalent of approximately 5,000 cars.

The Wind Farm is owned by a Limited Partnership formed by three partners. Plan A Infrastructure, Valeco Énergie Québec, each holding 25% of the company’s capital, and the Gaspésie-Les-Îles-de-la-Madeleine Intermunicipal Energy Board, holding 50%. As such, the revenues generated by the operation of the wind farm are distributed in proportion to the capital held by each of the partners. The revenues (profits) received by the Intermunicipal Energy Board will be distributed among all member communities, as are the revenues from the board’s other investments in wind farms in Gaspésie and the Lower St. Lawrence. In 2018, the Board distributed $4.5 million to member MRCs, 18% of which was distributed to the Communauté maritime des Îles-de-la-Madeleine ($800,000 in 2018).

Specifically, the Dune-du-Nord wind farm will generate revenue for the authority in the order of $300,000 per year over twenty years, or approximately $55,000 for the maritime community.

In addition, the municipality of the Magdalen Islands will receive $5,000 per year per MW of production, or $32,000 per year for a period of twenty years. In addition, thanks to the public land management agreement signed by the Maritime Community with the MERN, it will receive approximately $55,000 per year, which will be deposited into a public land development fund.

In total, the Dune-du-Nord project will generate additional revenue for the Maritime Community and the Municipality of the Magdalen Islands in the order of $145,000 per year over 20 years, which will be added to the revenue collected from the other wind farms of the intermunicipal authority.

The wind turbine components will be delivered by boat to the port of the Magdalen Islands and then by trucks and adapted semi-trailers from the port to the Dune-du-Nord site.

Under the Electricity Supply Contract with Hydro-Québec (the “PPA”), PEDDN must meet specific obligations for the dismantling and rehabilitation of the site. This obligation must be met within a period of twelve months following the expiry of the twenty-year PPA, or within six months if a wind turbine is inactive or not operating commercially for twenty-four months.

The dismantling of the wind farm targets the wind turbines (towers, nacelles, hubs and blades), the overhead and underground lines of the collector network (wires and poles), the transformer station and all other installations required for the construction and operation of the wind farm including access roads, unless otherwise agreed with the owners of the land.

All equipment is dismantled, removed from the sites and disposed of in accordance with the standards and regulations then in force or recovered. This includes towers, nacelles and blades, the electrical substation, buried power lines, overhead lines and all temporary or permanent installations for the construction or operation of the wind farm.

On the wind turbine installation sites, the concrete bases are leveled to a depth of one (1) meter before being covered with clean soil. The collector network lines and the electrical substation are dismantled and the soils restored. The soils are leveled if necessary in order to restore the most natural surface possible.

In the event of the presence of contaminants, the soils under the wind turbines, under the step-up transformers, in the electrical substation and in the construction areas are subject to chemical characterization. Contaminated soils are removed in accordance with the regulations in force. The soils are thus left free of dirt or contamination that could have occurred during operation or decommissioning. Access roads, assembly, storage and maneuvering areas are removed.

In addition, in order to guarantee the performance of PEDDN’s obligations in this regard within the established deadlines, PEDDN must file, on the tenth (10th) anniversary of the start date of deliveries, dismantling guarantees with Hydro-Québec for an amount equal to the estimated net dismantling cost. In the year preceding the filing of these guarantees, PEDDN must mandate a firm of independent experts to assess the net dismantling cost of the wind farm at the end of the contract.

An educational information and observation area will be accessible near Route 199.

In addition to offering an impressive view of the park, the educational area will provide information on the particular energy and environmental portrait of the archipelago.