Wind farm proposed along Coquihalla Highway between Kamloops and Merritt

A wind farm is being pitched for a portion of land that straddles the Coquihalla Highway between Kamloops and Merritt.

The ‘Mount Mabel Wind Project’ is proposed to have a nameplate capacity of up to 140 megawatts and include nearly 35 wind turbines, a project substation, access roads, an interconnection transmission line and ancillary equipment.

In a letter to the Thompson-Nicola Regional District (TNRD) Board of Directors ahead of its regular meeting Thursday (Oct. 3), Andrea Kausel, vice president of development at Capstone Infrastructure, says the proposed project will evolve following environmental and engineering surveys and talks with the community.

The towers would be erected on a roughly diagonal line, on a plane that crosses the Coquihalla Highway just south of Surrey Lake and Sussex Lake.

Capstone is a publicly traded, independent power producer based out of Toronto. It notes BC Hydro issued a request for proposals for new electricity resources as demand for power in the province is expected to growth by 15 per cent by 2030. Capstone states BC Hydro is expected to award projects in December and have them established between 2028 and 2031.