Project Overview
South Branch Wind Farm is located approximately 20 kilometers south of the town of Winchester and 70 kilometers south of the nation’s capital, Ottawa. The pristine agricultural land is used to grow corn and soybeans as well as for dairy farming. The wind farm takes its name directly from the South Branch River that runs through the middle of the project. South Branch is located entirely inside the municipality of South Dundas, in the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas, and Glengarry.
Energy Output
South Branch Wind Farm has an installed capacity of 30 megawatts (MW). South Branch's generation is equivalent to the consumption of thousands of Ontario homes.
Benefits
Community
South Branch Wind Farm yields significant economic benefits to the community in the form of payments to landowners, local spending, and annual community investment.
South Branch represents a capital investment of approximately $51 million and has disbursed $342,000 in cumulative payments to local governments through 2019. The project created 35 full-time equivalent jobs during construction as well as two permanent jobs. Through 2019, approximately $5.1 million has been spent within 50 miles of the wind farm.
Environment
South Branch Wind Farm saves more than 201 million liters of water each year and displaces carbon emissions from fossil fuel power plants, a major contributor to climate change. Wind energy also enhances air quality by helping to mitigate the health effects of harmful air pollutants.
Landowners
South Branch Wind Farm is compatible with other land uses and provides a stable form of income to local landowners. More than $1.9 million has been paid to the wind farm’s landowners through 2019. These supportive landowners participate in long-term lease and easement agreements that cover turbines, access roads, and transmission corridors.
Technology
Turbines
Modern wind turbine generators are sophisticated, high-tech machines designed to capture the kinetic energy of the wind and convert it into electricity. A turbine’s blades capture the wind and rotate an internal shaft connected to a gearbox spinning a generator to produce electricity.
South Branch Wind Farm consists of 10 Siemens 3 MW wind turbines.
Downloads
Contact Us
southbranch@edpr.com
4344 County Road 16
Brinston, Ontario, L0E1C0
T: 518.497.0033
F: 518.497.0001