*(Please see note below regarding related Vancouver Sun article titled: “Offshore wind farm approved in northern B.C.")
Vancouver, British Columbia – NaiKun Wind Energy Group Inc., (“NaiKun”) is pleased to announce the Environmental Assessment Office (EAO) has approved the terms of reference for the offshore wind project in Hecate Strait. The terms of reference outline the necessary information that must be included in the final application for an Environmental Assessment Certificate (EAC), the next step in the environmental assessment process.
NaiKun is proposing Canada’s first offshore wind project in northwest British Columbia, near Haida Gwaii (Queen Charlotte Islands). The first phase (320 MW) is currently under development for submission in BC Hydro’s 2008 Clean Energy Call and is now in the pre-application phase of B.C.'s environmental assessment (EA) process.
“This is an important step forward for NaiKun,” noted Ray Castelli, President and CEO of NaiKun Wind Development Inc. “The Environmental Assessment Office has recognized we have adequately consulted and addressed issues identified by First Nations, government agencies and the public regarding the project’s environmental terms of reference. The next step is to continue gathering information, move ahead with the approved studies, collect the necessary data and prepare the final analysis for our formal application submission expected in late 2008.”
In British Columbia, major projects require an environmental assessment (EA) process which assesses the project’s potential impacts and identifies ways to mitigate or minimize adverse effects. The review is conducted and coordinated by the provincial government’s Environmental Assessment Office (EAO). NaiKun initiated the EA process in 2003 and has since held two separate public comment periods to obtain feedback on the Terms of Reference.
“The environmental assessment review is an important process which not only identifies potential environmental issues but also helps developers like NaiKun to engage the local community and focus on public outreach initiatives to ensure accurate project information is available,” Castelli concluded.
More information about NaiKun’s EA process, as well as all related documentation, public comments and the approved terms of reference can be found at the EAO website: http://www.eao.gov.bc.ca/epic/output/html/deploy/epic_project_home_230.html
NaiKun Wind Energy Group Inc. (TSX-V: NKW) is a Vancouver-based energy company that has traded on the TSX Venture Exchange (and its predecessors) since 1967. Since 2000, the company has focused on renewable energy. Its subsidiary, NaiKun Wind Development Inc., is engaged in the development of a major offshore wind project off the coast of British Columbia in an area known as the Haida Energy Field. Interested parties are invited to visit the company's website at www.naikun.ca.
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*Please note the article headline "Offshore wind farm approved in northern B.C." published in the Vancouver Sun on Saturday, December 22, 2007 was misleading in suggesting that NaiKun has received environmental approval for the wind project.
On December 21, 2007 NaiKun announced that the Environmental Assessment Office approved the terms of reference for the offshore wind project. The terms of reference outlines the necessary information that must be included in the final application for an Environmental Assessment Certificate. No reference was made to suggest that the company had received environmental approval for the project.
http://www.naikun.ca/news_media/news/vancouver_sun_dec22.pdf
The TSX Venture Exchange does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
For more information contact:
Sara MacIntyre
Director, Public Affairs and Communications
NaiKun Wind Development Inc.
Phone: 778-868-4363 or smacintyre@naikun.ca
Investor Relations
Peter Murray
Contact Financial
Phone: 866-689-7422 or pete@contactfinancial.com
Dec 20, 2007 return
