The Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change (MOECC) is proposing amendments to the REA regulation to reflect the most recent Canadian Standards Association (CSA) 2013 Noise Standard, “Wind Turbine Generator Systems: Acoustic Noise Measurement Techniques.” The CSA Standard is used by proponents for the purposes of determining the sound power level of wind turbines under the REA regulation. The amendments also address advancements in wind turbine technology, issues related to operational flexibility and continued protection of noise receptors. An amendment is also being proposed that relates to the natural heritage protection and assessment sections of the REA regulation to reflect current practices in the province. Additional minor amendments are also being proposed to clarify other aspects of the REA regulation.
Industry consultant Aercoustics says, “Of significant importance is the MOECC’s proposal to add any positive equipment uncertainty to the sound power level. This change was omitted from the MOECC’s summary documents and will impact how any future wind facility is assessed.” The ministry notes that requirement for the inclusion of the positive uncertainty value appears both in the EBR summary posting as well as on page 10 of the draft REA regulation.The postings on the environmental registry are open to comments until September 18, 2015 (EBR 012-4493 and 012-4601).
Aercoustics has published a summary document at this location: http://aercoustics.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Summary-of-Proposed-REA-Changes-2015.08.05.pdf .
The Ministry postings are available online at these locations:
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