First turbines spinning at Burchill Wind Energy project in Saint John

A stark illustration of the changing nature of New Brunswick's energy supply is on display leaving Saint John on Highway 1 heading for the U.S.

A horizon that for years has been dominated by Coleson Cove's twin smokestacks is now crowded with the spinning propellers of wind turbines.

While N.B. Power's smokeless stacks remain ready to burn fossil fuel when needed, it's the waving arms of nearly a dozen windmills that symbolize a greener future, compliments of a hefty investment by Neqotkuk First Nation in Tobique, in northwestern N.B. 

Neqotkuk Chief Ross Perley beams with pride about his community's work in Saint John.  

"It just goes to show," he told CBC News. "Green energy projects are going to start taking over, and they're going to dominate and that's the way of the future."

Neqotkuk has teamed up with Nova Scotia-based renewable energy specialists Natural Forces and Saint John Energy for the wind project.

With a $49-million investment in Burchill Wind Energy, the community expects to reap a $100-million windfall over the project's 25-year lifetime. That's money, known as own-source revenue, that Neqotkuk intends to put to good use, according to Perley.

"We use the own-source revenue to fund projects in the community that aren't funded from federal or provincial dollars, such as our elders' programs and our youth and recreation programs."

The turbines sit on Crown land about 15 kilometres from the centre of Saint John, land the residents of Neqotkuk consider the unceded and unsurrendered land of the Wolastoqey. 

While some of the turbines are spinning now, only five are currently operational. All 10 are scheduled to be online by the end of May, according to Saint John Energy.

With all ten operating, Burchill can produce 42 megawatts of power. That's about 15 per cent of the energy needed to keep the lights on and businesses humming in New Brunswick's most industrial city.

There are 10 turbines, each standing more than 200 metres tall. At 70 metres in length, the variable-pitch blades can slow down or speed up depending on the wind intensity. Each turbine is capable or producing 4.2 megawatts of power on a good day.

The hub can rotate into the wind for maximum efficiency or away from the wind to avoid storm-driven gusts that could damage the blades.

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The turbines at the Lorneville site will be able to generate about 15 per cent of Saint John's energy needs.

And what are the risks of those windmills tumbling to the ground? That happened in 2021 at TransAlta's Kent Hills wind farm near Moncton.

TransAlta blamed deficiencies in the design of the foundations, but Saint John Energy engineer Andrew Ahearn said there's little risk of that here.

"You can't believe the amount of rebar that's inside those bases. If you look over there, there's some rock anchor bolts that are sticking out. They're basically embedded several metres into the bedrock, which will help hold it into place. I think there's over 200 anchor bolts securing the tower to the foundation."

Aside from changing the skyline of Coleson Cove, the project has also changed the sightlines of many Saint John residents. Saint John Energy has had to raise transmission wires to carry the power created by the Burchill wind turbines to two of the city's newly rebuilt substations.  

The Burchill Wind Energy project won't displace Coleson Cove as an energy source. The oil-burning plant will continue as a backup source for N.B. Power. But Ahearn makes it clear that could change.

"Ultimately, Coleson Cove is a requirement we need for the base load. But I think you can see now there's kind of a shift toward the future and understanding how we can move to a renewable and non-emitting way of producing power, and I think N.B. Power is going to be on board with that."

This isn't Neqotkuk's only green investment. It also has a majority interest in a $50-million Natural Forces project in Penobsquis, near Sussex. The wind energy produced by six turbines there will be sold to N.B. Power, generating $3 million a year in revenue for the First Nation.

Ultimately though, the revenue stream takes second place to another more fundamental concern for Neqotkuk. Natural Forces estimates the Burchill project will remove more than 43,000 tonnes a year in CO2 emissions, equivalent to taking 13,000 cars off the road.

"For us, it's taking part in and doing our contribution to reduce carbon emissions and combat global warming," said Perley.

"It's part of our heritage to make sure that we look out for the next generations and leaving the earth as healthy as it can be. And this is one step in that direction."