Paper manufacturer Port Hawkesbury Paper LP signed a memorandum of understanding with the Canada Infrastructure Bank and IFE Project Management Canada to pursue the development of a wind energy facility in Nova Scotia that would in part supply the papermaker's plant.

The 112-MW Pirate Harbour wind project will comprise 28 wind turbines with 4 MW of generation capacity each and will also include 15 kilometers of overland transmission lines and 2 kilometers of subsea cables.

The three partners will conduct due diligence during the project development phase, according to a Dec. 17 news release, but did not give a time frame as to when they will decide whether to go ahead with the project.

The Canada Infrastructure Bank is a federal government corporation that includes "green infrastructure" among its list of projects eligible for investment if determined to be in the public interest. It has not yet invested in a project in Nova Scotia. Port Hawkesbury and IFE would design, build and finance the wind farm.

"A decision to build this wind farm will be a landmark in Atlantic Canada, as it will be the first time that a pulp and paper mill, or any large industrial facility, has chosen to work with a wind developer to purchase green energy to fuel its activities," IFE Project Management Canada CEO Keith Towse said in the news release.

According to its most recent sustainability report, Port Hawkesbury obtains all of its electricity supply through Emera Inc. subsidiary Nova Scotia Power Inc. using a mix of heat recovery units, biomass and natural gas to generate steam needed to run production facilities.