- Port Hawkesbury Paper is investing $450 million in a wind farm featuring up to 31 turbines capable of operating at temperatures as low as -30°C.
- The project will supply more than 60% of the mill’s annual energy needs while supporting industrial sustainability and reducing pressure on Nova Scotia’s electricity grid.
Port Hawkesbury Paper Inc. is investing $450 million to build a wind farm featuring up to 31 large turbines in eastern Nova Scotia, Canada. The Goose Harbour Lake project will use turbines supplied by German wind energy company Nordex SE and provide more than 60% of the paper mill’s annual electricity requirements.
The project aims to strengthen the mill’s long-term energy security while contributing cleaner electricity to the provincial grid. Port Hawkesbury Paper consumes as much as 25% of Nova Scotia’s electricity during peak demand, making reliable power supply critical to its operations.
Jay Woodworth, the company’s director of business development, said the project requires careful planning because of its scale and operating environment.
“A project at this scale, it’s important for us to do it right,” Woodworth said. He added that the selected turbines would provide an advantage in the province’s cold climate.
Cold-Weather Technology Addresses Turbine Freezing
The project follows a winter electricity supply challenge in Nova Scotia. In January, temperatures and wind chill fell below -30°C, prompting Nova Scotia Power to ask customers to avoid non-essential electricity use during peak demand periods.
Wind generation dropped from 350 megawatts on Sunday morning to 75 megawatts by evening, bringing the electricity grid close to overload.
The Nordex turbines planned for Goose Harbour Lake feature electrothermal technology designed to prevent ice from forming on their blades. The system heats critical areas of the rotor surface, helping turbines maintain operation in temperatures as low as -30°C.
John McComas, chief operating officer of Nordex’s North American operations, said the company had deployed the technology in Canadian wind projects, including developments in Nova Scotia and Quebec.
“This is a technology that’s proprietary to us, something that sets us apart from the rest of our competitors, that actively eliminates ice on the blades,” McComas said.
He explained that ice adds weight to turbine blades and can force turbines to stop operating. The heating system helps turbines continue generating electricity during cold weather, when demand and electricity prices often rise.
McComas said reliable winter generation would benefit both project developers and electricity consumers.
Turbines Deliver Up to 6.9 Megawatts Each
The Goose Harbour Lake project will use Nordex N163/6.X turbines. Each turbine has a rotor diameter of 163 metres, stands on a 118-metre steel tower and can generate up to 6.9 megawatts.
The rotor diameter spans roughly one-and-a-half football fields, while the tower stands about as tall as a 40-storey building.
McComas said larger rotors capture more wind and convert its energy into rotational motion for electricity generation.
“Bigger is better, especially as you’re trying to capture that wind,” he said.
Nordex already operates older-model turbines in Saskatchewan and Alberta that generate more than one gigawatt of power. The company plans to deploy its N163 turbines in additional projects across Canada, including two wind farms in Quebec, another in New Brunswick and the Higgins Mountain Wind Farm in central Nova Scotia.
The Higgins Mountain project will feature 17 turbines with a combined capacity of 100 megawatts, supplying clean electricity to the provincial grid.
Project Supports Industrial Sustainability
Port Hawkesbury Paper expects the Goose Harbour Lake project to strengthen the mill’s long-term viability and support the surrounding economy.
Woodworth said the investment would help secure the facility’s future while contributing to cleaner electricity generation across Nova Scotia.
“(Goose Harbour Lake) was set up to ensure the sustainability of the mill for future generations,” he said. He added that the project would support the mill’s economic contribution to the region and help green the electricity grid.
The development highlights how industrial energy users can invest directly in renewable generation to improve energy security, manage exposure to electricity market pressures and support emissions reduction.