Violet Solar Farm

We prepared preliminary designs and the Environmental Impact Assessment that won provincial approval for New Brunswick's first utility-scale solar farm.

C2 Solar Ltd. is a renewable energy start-up formed to permit, build and operate utility-scale solar farms to help New Brunswick move to a low-carbon economy. In 2018 the company engaged Fundy Engineering to prepare preliminary designs for Atlantic Canada’s first utility-scale solar farm, in the Bathurst Mining Camp region.

At 10 MW, phase one would supply clean electricity to at least 2,000 homes using 31,200 panels across 40 hectares, with a net carbon dioxide equivalent offset of about 83,000 tonnes over 25 years.

Why it needed an EIA

Because the facility exceeds the 3 MW threshold for electricity generation under New Brunswick’s EIA Regulation, the project required registration and review. Our team completed baseline data collection and environmental constraints mapping in 2018, assessed potential interactions with ten valued environmental components, and prepared the registration document with public, stakeholder and regulatory consultation.

The result

The assessment found a favourable to moderate overall effect. Best-management practices were written into a project-specific environmental protection plan to mitigate the limited potential impacts identified. Registered in July 2019, the project received regulatory approval in February 2020, and the work was recognized with an Association of Consulting Engineering Companies of New Brunswick Engineering Excellence Award that year.