Provincial government delays are threatening to scuttle a wind project on P.E.I.'s North Shore, says the company hoping to develop it.

'We've been told that maybe it won't be here until September.'— Wayne Cousins

Wayne Cousins, a dairy farmer, is one of the people behind the project. He got involved because he sees no future in food production.

"All aspects of agriculture are dying," Cousins told CBC News on Monday.

The project started to get serious when the province announced a plan last October to triple wind power generation on the Island, to 500 megawatts, by 2013. The province said it would issue a call for proposals from private developers.

But in December, that call for proposals was postponed due to a weak economy. Cousins, however, said his group is ready to go now.

"We met with the minister of environment around mid-March: he told us two weeks. We met with him again fours weeks ago this coming Monday: he told us the very same thing. He said it'd be two weeks," he said.

"I've had some discussion with him himself and the premier the last couple of days and we've been told that maybe it won't be here until September."

The province hopes to triple wind power production by 2013.The province hopes to triple wind power production by 2013. (CBC)

Cousins and the five others in his group are hoping to build a wind farm on 2,000 hectares on the North Shore, from Cape Tryon to Long River. They hope to put up 33 to 66 wind turbines.

The plan has been three years in the making. The group doesn't want to pay for an environmental assessment until the government starts taking proposals, but he's worried a lengthy delay could lead to a loss of leased land, or the American developer they're working with could pull out.

"We're hoping that he's still on board. We're still talking to him," said Cousins.

Environment Minister Richard Brown was not available for comment. In postponing the call for proposals in December, the government said it would reassess the state of the economy in April.

It also said it would draw up guidelines that would help ensure any new projects would have the local community's support.