Hundreds of wind turbines proposed for Peace region, new PRRD chair raises

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — The new chair of the Peace River Regional District (PRRD) board is raising the alarm about the possibility of the number of wind turbines nearly doubling in the region in coming years, if proposed projects all go ahead. 

Brad Sperling has detailed the district’s priorities for the new year and beyond and reflected on the activities of the board in 2025 in an interview with Energeticcity.ca for the PRRD’s fourth quarterly update of 2025. 

When asked about the ongoing concerns raised by the board on wind energy projects, Sperling explained since regulatory changes were announced, presentations and announcements of new projects “haven’t stopped,” and stated it was “very concerning.”

“There’s six we’ve seen so far; two are within the District of Tumbler Ridge, one is on Crown land…but then we’ve had three other ones since then that are on agricultural land,” Sperling said. 

“Right now, as far as we know, there’s roughly 300 wind turbines in B.C., 192 of them are in the Peace [region], so now with the six [projects] we’ve got proposed, there’s another 200 to 250, so what are we getting out of it?”

He raised particular concerns about the lack of public engagement many of the proposed projects have undergone.

“It’s one thing to come talk to [the board], but it’s another thing to talk to the people that are

going to have to look at these wind turbines,” Sperling said. 

According to Sperling, the board has no intentions of “letting up” on encouraging and asking the projects if they have plans for public engagement. 

When looking to 2026, Sperling explained the board would be focused on the region’s economy, and the items which would positively affect it. 

“With the present state of the economy, that’s our priority, we really have to push for our economy,” Sperling said. 

“We still have to do our part, whether it’s health, seniors, our agricultural community, our forestry, it’s a part of the day-to-day business.”