Eskasoni First Nation to benefit from wind energy project

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Eskasoni Corporate Division and juwi Wind Canada Sign MOU

The 4.4 Megawatt COMFIT Project to Bring Economic and Environmental Benefits to Nova Scotia and Eskasoni First Nation

PHOTO: http://media.marketwire.com/attachments ... esized.jpg
(Eskasoni Chief & Counsel Sign MOU for Harmony Community Wind with juwi Wind Canada)

ESKASONI, NS--
June 27, 2012

On June 26th juwi Wind Canada and Community Wind Farms Inc., met with Eskasoni Chief and Council and the Eskasoni Corporate Division to sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for the development, construction, ownership and operation of a 4.4 megawatt community wind project.

Harmony Community Wind is a community wind project in development near Truro, Nova Scotia and Eskasoni Corporate Division has applied for a Community Feed-In-Tariff (COMFIT) through the Nova Scotia Department of Energy. Over the next 12-18 months juwi Wind Canada and its local development partner Community Wind Farms Inc. will work with the Eskasoni Corporate Division to secure the COMFIT award, verify the wind resource, conduct environmental assessments, and engage the local community to responsibly develop the project. Once complete, Harmony Community Wind will be majority owned by the Eskasoni Corporate Division and provide enough clean electricity to power more than 1,500 local residences. Construction is anticipated for 2014.

"juwi is very excited to make Harmony Community Wind a part of our growing portfolio of community wind projects in Nova Scotia," stated juwi Wind Canada CEO Michael Rucker. "juwi is committed to the community nature of these projects and looks forward to working with the Eskasoni Corporate Division to create an economically sensible and environmentally sustainable investment in Nova Scotia."

Eskasoni Development Corp general manager Steve Parsons stated: Project Harmony is a major investment for the community to continue with its mandate in Wind Energy. We are very proud of our relationship with juwi and will continue to forge ahead in building our capacity within the field of sustainable energy. The Harmony project is another example of aligning ourselves with the major players within this business sector and we will continue to seek out any and all opportunities that will realize benefits to the community members of Eskasoni.

The project sponsors conducted their first community meeting for Harmony Community Wind early this month. "Turn-out was very good, with 40-50 people turning out on a Saturday morning," commented Keith Towse, CEO of Community Wind Farms Inc. "As always, it is important to create forums for discussion with the local community when contemplating these type of projects. As the project progresses and we learn more about the site and its surroundings we will have additional opportunities to share what we have learned, talk about what we are planning, and answer the questions of the project's neighbors."

juwi Wind, LLC is the North American subsidiary of the juwi Group, a major international developer of wind, solar and other renewable energy projects. juwi has been designing, building and operating plants that harness renewable energy since 1996, and to date juwi has installed approximately 540 wind turbines worldwide at 106 sites, producing a total output of approximately 950 MW. The company is named for CEOs Fred Jung and Matthias Willenbacher and based in Worrstadt, Germany with North American headquarters in Boulder, Colorado.

Established in May 2012 and lead by General Manager Steve Parsons, Eskasoni Corporate Division will continue with its mandate of providing for investment and employment opportunities for band members of Eskasoni.

Community Wind Farms is a Nova Scotia based company focused on developing community based wind projects across Nova Scotia. The company is working with municipalities, First Nations, community groups and landowners across Nova Scotia to develop a portfolio of wind farms under the Community Feed-In Tariff (COMFIT) program introduced by the Nova Scotia Department of Energy.


Contacts:
George Paul
Communication Officer
Eskasoni Band
902-565-0024

Danny Splettstosser
Manager Business Development
juwi Wind Canada
303-996-4163