Renewable energy

Sarah Rennie – LJI reporter

Over 70 people attended a public consultation on April 29 organized by Kruger Energy, the MRC des Jardins-de-Napierville, and the Mohawk Council of Kahnawà:ke about the Les Jardins wind-energy project. The meeting was held at the Hemmingford Recreation Centre.

The 147-megawatt project will see the construction of a network of 21 wind turbines in the municipalities of Saint-Patrice-de-Sherrington, Saint-Édouard, and Saint-Michel.

Locals were surprised to learn that Kruger Energy no longer expects to build two turbines in the Township of Hemmingford, though the municipality is still involved as electricity will be transmitted via a new substation to be built there.

Jean-Robert Poulin, project development director for Kruger Energy, emphasized that the project is still in the planning phase and could evolve based on impact studies, regulatory requirements, and consultations with local stakeholders and communities.

Poulin confirmed that an environmental impact assessment – including several sound studies and models, a shadow analysis, a landscape study including a visibility analysis and visual simulations, an archaeological assessment, and biological inventories – will be finalized before the end of the year.

Initial presentations will also be submitted to the Bureau d’audiences publique sur l’environnement (BAPE) and the Commission de protection du territoire agricole (CPTAQ) by December. The ensuing approval and permitting process is expected to take up much of 2026. Construction will begin in 2027 and Kruger Energy anticipates the wind farm will be operational by December 2028.

Many concerns were voiced regarding costs, the assessment process, turbine placement, whether follow-ups would take place, and the eventual dismantling of the turbines. Several participants mentioned the meeting could have been better publicized.

The next consultation is expected to take place before the impact assessment is finalized in November, with another happening before the start of construction in April 2027.