NORTH PERTH - Invenergy Canada has responded to several concerns over the lease agreement raised by a North Perth councillor.
James Murphy, Invenergy Canada director of business, spoke to The Banner recently in regards to an article printed on Jan. 11, in which Coun. Warren Howard identified several areas of the lease agreement that he found concerning. Murphy said Howard’s comments highlight the value of speaking to a lawyer and fully understanding the document.
“It’s very important to review leases thoroughly,” he said. “It’s a substantial business opportunity for landowners, and it requires a substantial review.”
One of Howard’s main concerns was the decommissioning clauses in the lease agreement, and how the responsibility to dismantle the wind turbine could potentially fall on the landowner. Murphy said a fund is established and the landowner is given full access to those funds if the company does not meet their obligation to decommission within the 90 day period.
“It’s there to provide 100 per cent of the financial obligation, both to decommission the facility and to restore the land to its previous condition,” Murphy said. “It’s not a risk to the landowner, it’s in fact a benefit.”
According to Murphy, the fund is unique to Invenergy leases, and has been developed in collaboration with lawyers representing other landowners and wanting to ensure sufficient protection. The fund is also reviewed to ensure the full cost of the decommissioning is covered, Murphy said.
“That fund is established mid-way through the project life, and it’s reviewed to make sure those costs are full to not just do the decommissioning, but also the restoration,” he said.
Use of land is also a potential concern that Murphy has heard from landowners who think that wind turbines are a waste of prime agricultural land. With their proposal of a low-density wind energy project of 23-27 turbines, Murphy said landowners can expect about three turbines per rural block.
“If a rural block ranges from 1,000 to 1,200 acres, the amount of land that’s utilized for the facility is often less than three acres total,” Murphy said. “It’s quite small.”
Access lanes in fields are also no more than 15 feet wide once the restoration process is completed, and turbines are able to be located on lot lines to minimize the impact on a farmer’s field. For those concerned about the use of their land, Murphy said the lease agreement includes a site plan that will set out what land is available for infrastructure development.... Please read more in this weeks Listowel Banner