To the Editor:
Let me start by saying, we hear you. We respect your concerns, appreciate your questions and support and we recognize many in the Weyburn area want to talk.
Enbridge is in the early stages of developing the Seven Stars wind energy project, which includes a focus on environmental studies and robust engagement with land owners and local communities with respect to project design, impacts, economic benefits and other topics.
Having acquired the project in late June of this year, we took an early opportunity in mid-July to share our preliminary project plans at an open house with Weyburn area residents. We thought it was important to do so as early as we could.
Since then, we’ve been busy engaging with residents and land owners, with the Rural Municipalities of Weyburn and Griffin, groups like the Weyburn Chamber of Commerce and others.
The approach we are taking is the same approach we take with any other Enbridge project, anywhere in North America – we welcome questions from community members, and we’re absolutely committed to ongoing, two-way dialogue over the course of the Seven Stars project.
Enbridge is an energy delivery company. We safely deliver the oil and natural gas you rely on every single day. That won’t change. We’re also committed to delivering other forms of energy, including wind energy.
Enbridge has more than seven decades of experience in working collaboratively with our neighbours in southern Saskatchewan, including the SunBridge wind power project near Gull Lake. We’re embedded in the communities where we operate, we have a strong history of responsibly developing projects and we are proud of our reputation for working closely with communities. We work hard to initiate conversations and we address concerns openly and respectfully.
We know from our early engagement that residents have questions about the Seven Stars project and wind energy. We recognize that we still have a lot of work to do, and it’s clear to us that the community is seeking more engagement on this project.
We respect that.
We’ve got time to address the concerns we are hearing, and we’re committed to redoubling our efforts to engage the community in the days, weeks and months ahead.
As one way of doing so, we encourage residents who have questions about the Seven Stars project or wind energy in general to contact us at [email protected].
We believe the project can deliver significant economic, employment and other benefits to the community, and we look forward to discussing all aspects of the project with you.
Alex McNichol, director,
Power Business Development, Enbridge
