Amendment to Renewable Energy Approval for the South Kent Wind Project

This is an amendment to Renewable Energy Approval No. 2871-8UKGPC issued to South Kent Wind GP Inc., as general partner for and on behalf of South Kent Wind LP for the South Kent Wind Project located in the Municipality of Chatham-Kent.

This amendment will make an administrative change within the approval to outline daytime and nighttime operation requirements for wind turbine P060 at the facility, and to reflect the requirements South Kent Wind GP Inc., is already required to follow as part of the existing Noise Abatement Action Plan.

Measuring noise levels and achieving compliance

The Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks’ Compliance Protocol for Wind Turbine Noise describes the assessment procedure for long-term measurements of wind turbine noise that is normally required of wind facility operators through conditions of approval for post-construction acoustic audits.

Acoustic audits are included as a condition in most wind facility Renewable Energy Approvals and are conducted at wind facilities once a facility begins operating to indicate whether it meets the ministry’s noise limits. There are two types of acoustic audits:

• emission audits (E-audits) measure noise levels taken at the source of noise such as wind turbines
• immission audits (I-audits) measure noise levels at receptors such as residential homes

A Noise Abatement Action Plan (NAAP) is a noise abatement program developed by the owner/operator of a wind facility to achieve compliance with the noise limits set out in section D6 of the Compliance Protocol for Wind Turbine Noise. The NAAP must be reviewed and approved by the ministry before it is incorporated into the wind facility.

When the I-audit was completed at the South Kent Wind Project in 2020, the measured noise levels were found to be out of compliance with the ministry’s allowable noise level limits at one receptor (known as receptor R2794). South Kent Wind GP Inc. , with the assitance of the wind turbine manufacturer Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy, undertook a NAAP, which was approved by the ministry.

The updated NAAP was implemented at the South Kent Wind Project in 2021 to address the non-compliant noise impact at receptor R2794. The NAAP was found to be effective during an I-audit conducted in April 26, 2022. The associated I-audit report indicated that all outstanding issues at receptor R2794 have been addressed. The wind facility has now demonstrated compliance in all required I-audits.

Amendment to daytime and nightime operation requirements

The Renewable Energy Approval has been amended to update Schedule A of the approval to reflect:

• allowed daytime operation of wind turbine P060
• allowed nighttime operation of wind turbine P060

During the daytime hours from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm, wind turbine P060 must operate at:

• a maximum sound power level of 104 dBA at 2.126 megawatts

During the nighttime hours of 7:00 pm to 7:00 am, wind turbine P060 must operate at:

• a maximum 100 dBA at 1.745 megawatts.

No new environmental effects are expected beyond those that were previously identified, documented and consulted on through the Renewable Energy Approval process. Amending the Renewable Energy Approval to outline the daytime and nighttime operations of wind turbine P060 reduces the amount of noise generated and is considered an added protection.

Technical support letters from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry and the Ministry of Citizenship and Multiculturalism are not required because the changes did not result in relocating any project components beyond the project location that was already assessed.