The port of Johnstown will be busy during the next several months as vessels will be delivering Enercon turbine components for the Nation Rise Wind Farm project. The cargo represents a major business win for the Port, which completed a multi-million-dollar infrastructure project in 2016 that included several acres of laydown space to be able to accommodate this type of heavy-lift cargo.
The first vessel, BBC Kurt Paul, arrived August 13, 2019. In total, twelve vessels are expected to arrive over a 10-12 week period to deliver the components for this wind energy project, which is located approximately 40 kilometers southeast of Ottawa, near the South Nation River. The wind farm features 29 Enercon wind turbines and is situated in the Municipality of North Stormont within the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry.
Logistec has been contracted to move the components from the vessels onto the dock while Transport Bellemare has been hired to transport the components to the construction site.
Robert Dalley, General Manager for the Port of Johnstown said: “This is a proud day for our entire community, and we are extremely excited to see the project components arriving here in Johnstown. It is very gratifying to see our vision come true and to see all our hard work and effort paying off.
Separately, the Port announced that through the National Trade Corridors Fund, the federal government has pledged a contribution of $4.8 million for a project that will increase efficiency at the port. Nine ageing grain loading spouts will be replaced with four more efficient and modern spouts so that larger vessels can be loaded more quickly. In addition, a new grain bin will be added to increase the port’s storage capacity.
The port of Johnstown provides international market access for agriculture producers in Ontario and Quebec. Growing international demand for Canadian grain products such as wheat, corn and soybeans have fueled a 150 per cent rise in exports at the port of Johnstown since 2011. The port handled a record high of $115 million in grain products in the 2018 crop year. In addition, the port has a growing general cargo business, as evidenced by the above.
The port, which is owned and operated by the Township of Edwardsburgh Cardinal, and is strategically located on the St. Lawrence Seaway, serves a region extending from Port Hope to Peterborough, to Pembroke, to the Pontiac Region of Quebec, and moves more than 1.2 million metric tons of cargo annually by ship, rail and truck.