The public hearing will begin on october 17, 2006

Québec, October 3, 2006 –  The commission of the Bureau d’audiences publiques sur l’environnement (BAPE), chaired by Mr. Joseph Zayed, is holding the first part of the public hearing on the Projet de parc éolien à Carleton-sur-Mer par Cartier énergie éolienne inc. (Wind park project in Carleton-sur-Mer by Cartier énergie éolienne inc.) The public hearing will begin at 7:00 p.m. on October 17, 2006 at Salle de l’OTJ of Saint-Omer, located at 106, route 132, in Carleton-sur-Mer. The sessions will continue on the following days, depending on the needs of the public and the commission.

A hearing in two parts

Obtaining information  

The public hearing will take place in two parts. In the presence of the proponent and resource persons invited to answer participants’ questions, the first part will allow the public and the commission to obtain information about the project in order to learn more about it and examine all its aspects.

Voicing opinions

During the second part of the public hearing, which will begin on November 14, 2006 at the same location, the commission will obtain the public’s opinion and suggestions. The commission will hear any person, group, organization or municipality wishing to express an opinion on the project, be it in the form of a brief or an oral presentation.

The commission has a maximum period of four months to carry out its mandate. The BAPE report will be submitted to Mr. Claude Béchard, Minister of Sustainable Development, Environment and Parks, by February 16, 2007 at the latest. The Minister will then have 60 days to make the report public.

Where can the project documentation be consulted?

You can consult the documents pertaining to the project at the BAPE office in Québec City , at the Central Library of Université du Québec à Montréal, as well as at the following locations:

The documents may also be consulted on the BAPE web site at the following address: www.bape.gouv.qc.ca.

The project

The project of Cartier énergie éolienne inc. consists of setting up a wind park with a nominal capacity of 109.5 MW, which will be able to produce approximately 350 GWh of electricity annually to be sold to Hydro-Québec. The installation of 73 wind turbines with a capacity of 1.5 MW each is planned on the territory of the RCMs of Bonaventure and Avignon in the Baie-des-Chaleurs region. The wind turbines, which number 65 in the Municipality of Carleton-sur-Mer and 8 on the non-organized territory of Rivière-Bonaventure , would basically be located in wooded areas on public lands. The project also includes the construction of 23.7 kilometres of new access roads and the use of 35.6 kilometres of existing roads. The electric network, in large part underground, would converge on a power connection station situated at the heart of the wind park. A 230 kV transmission line, measuring 10 kilometres in length, could be built by Hydro-Québec in the summer of 2008 to connect the wind park to its transmission network. Work would begin in the spring of 2007 and would span a two-year period. The total cost of the project is estimated at $170 million, 60% of which will have to be invested locally, as stipulated in the agreement with Hydro-Québec. The contract for the purchase of electricity by Hydro-Québec is for a 20-year period. At the end of this contract and in the absence of its renewal, all of the above-ground equipment will be dismantled and removed from the site.

For more information, you can get in touch with Ms. Monique Gélinas, coordinator of the commission’s secretariat , by dialing 418 643-7447 or, toll-free, 1 800 463-4732, extension 423. You can also contact the commission by e-mail at the following address : eole-carleton@bape.gouv.qc.ca.

What is the bape?

The BAPE is a public information and consultation organization that allows citizens to express their views on a given project and to take part in the decision-making process, which may or may not lead to the authorization of a project. The BAPE carries out the mandates entrusted to it by the Minister of Sustainable Development, Environment and Parks, notably the public information and consultation mandate lasting 45 days, the public hearing mandate which may last up to 4 months, and the mediation mandate lasting about 2 months.

In response to the requests for a public hearing submitted to the Minister of Sustainable Development, Environment and Parks by citizens, groups, organizations or municipalities, the BAPE has been mandated to hold a public hearing on the Projet deparc éolien à Carleton-sur-Mer par Cartier énergie éolienne inc. (Wind park project in Carleton-sur-Mer by Cartier énergie éolienne inc.)

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Source: Danielle Hawey
Communications advisor
418 643-7447 or 1 800 463-4732, extension 533
eole-carleton@bape.gouv.qc.ca