Enbridge has announced they are asking the RM of Weyburn to pause the process for their application asking for a local zoning bylaw amendment when it comes to commercial wind operations and the Seven Stars Wind Energy Project. The announcement was made by a written release this morning.
In the release, it was highlighted Enbridge acquired the project from another developer in June of this year and has been talking with residents in the RMs of Weyburn and Griffin, as well as the City of Weyburn.
“My colleagues and I are encouraged by many of these conversations, but we recognize it takes time to listen carefully to different perspectives in the community – landowners, residents, elected officials, business owners, energy service companies, and others,” said Enbridge’s Director of Power Business Development, Alex McNichol, in the release. “And we respect that it’s a busy time of year for many with harvest and kids returning to school.”
With a pause for the local zoning bylaw amendment, McNichol stated they will be taking more time for community engagement to make sure they get things done right. They will also be looking at the project schedule to allow for more time for community engagement.
“We believe this project will be beneficial to your community and we’re committed to putting in the work to ensure this outcome,” McNichol added.
The Seven Stars Wind Energy Project was announced by Enbridge and the provincial government, as well as Indigenous partners, earlier this year. The project has seen pushback from residents in the area, who felt there hadn’t been enough community engagement on the process before the plans were announced.