Ontario blows smoke on wind farms

It appears that an Ontario announcement about wind power in Toronto on Monday was, well, overblown.

Energy Minister Donna Cansfield announced approval of eight new wind farms – 800 to 1,000 turbines – in such places as Goderich, Shelburne, Sault Ste Marie and Wolfe Island, near Kingston.

She said the farms will produce 950 megawatts of electricity. But she later admitted that, because the wind doesn't blow all the time, they will actually yield about a third of the wattage they're officially rated at.

In a news release announcing the approvals, the government had suggested the new turbines would provide about 950 megawatts towards its goal of producing 2,700 megawatts of renewable energy by 2010.

Cansfield said a manufacturing company has moved into Fort Erie to start building wind turbines as a result of the government's emphasis on renewable energy.

"We've had a lot of people who came forward wanting wind turbines on their property, people who felt we needed to go to the greener. They have to work very closely with their communities," she said.