Nova Scotia Power has acquired the rights to a wind farm on Nuttby Mountain, north of Truro.

NSPI ended up with the project when owner EarthFirst Canada filed for protection from bankruptcy and turned over the site instead of paying NSPI the money it owes for breaking its wind power contract.

For NSPI, it means developing wind power to supply electricity to 15,000 homes and begin reducing its greenhouse gas emissions.

"We're committed to a greener fuel profile," said Rob McAdam, NSPI's vice-president for sustainability. "At the same time we face carbon reduction requirements, separate legislation, so this will help us with that."

The Nova Scotia government has ordered NSPI to generate five per cent of its electricity from renewable sources next year, rising to 20 per cent in four years.

Ordering turbines for Nuttby Mountain won't help NSPI meet its deadline for next year, since the future of several other wind farms is up in the air.

McAdam can't say whether NSPI will comply with the legislation.

"I think it clearly will be challenging. We're doing everything we can to advance renewable projects to help meet that target," he said.

If NSPI cannot meet its five-per-cent target next year, under the Environment Act the corporation could be hit with financial penalties of hundreds of thousands of dollars each day.