Supporters of Enbridge’s proposed Seven Stars Energy Project are letting their voices be heard.
Construction and operation of the proposed 200-megawatt wind project southeast of Weyburn, SK is expected to create significant and sustained economic benefits for more than 30 years within the Rural Municipality (RM) of Weyburn, the RM of Griffin and the City of Weyburn—including employment, contracting and business opportunities, annual tax revenues, lease payments to landowners, sponsorship of community-driven programs and initiatives, spinoffs from local spending and rural road upgrading.
Enbridge plans to invest in excess of $500 million to build the project, which includes 46 turbines, an electrical substation connecting to the SaskPower grid, and a local warehouse facility that will employ up to 8 people full-time once the project is operational.
At an RM of Weyburn meeting on April 4, council advised it had received more than 40 letters of support to date for the project.
Local leaders and business owners have expressed optimism about the project's potential to invigorate the local economy, diversify income sources and attract further investment.
An ‘economic ripple effect’ with lasting benefits
Among those advocates is George Siourounis, owner of the Travelodge Weyburn, who stresses the necessity of such a development in the current economic climate.
“A project of this magnitude will have a major effect on our community,” Siourounis says. “The way our economy is right now, with what’s going on in the U.S., we need everything we can get in terms of economic development. We have agriculture and we have oil and gas, but we need something more to counteract the tariffs and we need more diversity in our economy.”
In a similar vein, Darcy McCormick, CEO of locally owned construction firm Jerry Mainil Ltd., says “the economic ripple effect of this project will have lasting benefits, making our region a more attractive and competitive place for businesses, investors and families alike.”
McCormick shared concerns about the broader economy, given the current uncertainty of Canada-U.S. trade. “It’s apparent to many in the community how important it is for the future of Weyburn that we open the door to projects that will diversify and build our local economy like the Seven Stars Project,” says McCormick.
