Abstract
The purpose of this guide is to help proponents of wind power projects understand the Environmental Assessment (EA) process and prepare the EA Registration Documents required for EA.
EA is a planning and decision-making tool used to promote sustainable development. By predicting and evaluating the environmental effects of a project before it begins, there is an opportunity to mitigate potential impacts of the project on the environment.
For the public, this process ensures that resources and ecosystem functions are protected. For the proponent of a wind power project, this guide promotes better project planning, which will ultimately save time and money.
More specifically, this guide will help proponents:
• consider all issues associated with wind power projects before submitting the EA Registration Document;
• avoid delays in the EA process; and
• reduce the risk that the Minister will decide that additional information is required or reject a project (note: if the Minister decides additional information is required, the proponent must obtain the missing information and then re-register the updated project for EA).
Project-specific information varies according to the project’s scale, location, and the surrounding environment.