Grouse Mountain turbine finally put to proper use

VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) - They've been "blowing in the wind" since February. But blades of the new wind turbine on Grouse Mountain will soon be generating electricity.

Grouse Mountain is hoping its unique windmill will eventually generate about a quarter of its annual electricity needs. But for the last six months, the spinning blades have been generating nothing, thanks to a disagreement with BC Hydro, which found the turbine didn't meet its safety requirements.

Grouse Mountain's William Mbaho says the disagreement came about largely because the project is a unique one. "At every step along the way, we were in discussion with BC Hydro about what we were doing. But it's important to note that this is the first commercially viable wind turbine in Vancouver."

While the turbine may not have been generating power, it has been generating revenue for the mountain. Visitors pay to go on a tour of the 20-storey windmill.

The safety measures are now in place, which means juice could be flowing from the structure in a couple of weeks.