The Power of Wind in Canada Continues to Grow
Good news for the Canadian wind power industry as the Province of Ontario recently announced deals for almost 500 MW of new wind power. As the Globe and Mail and Toronto Star each reported on Saturday, the industry is hoping that this is the start of some new wind momentum across the country, after success in Manitoba (a 300 MW wind farm announced in November - to be Canada's largest), and in Quebec, last May approving 2,000 MW ($5.5 billion) worth of wind projects.
The Ontario projects are expected to create 2,200 jobs and bring $1.32 billion of much needed investment to Province. But what this announcement also demonstrates is that despite uncertain economic times (and certainly Ontario is being hit harder than BC by the downturn in the economy), there is no reason to shy away from green power projects. There are many sophisticated and well financed independent power producers that are ready, willing and able to take the risk to develop these projects. It just makes sense to let them do it. Well done, Ontario!
In case you were curious, the Ontario Power Authority will purchase power for 20 years from five sites throughout the Province. The projects are:
- SkyPower's Byran Wind Project will be located in Prince Edward County and have a power capacity of 64.5 megawatts.
- Kruger Energy's Chatham Wind Project in Chatham-Kent, amounting to 101.2 megawatts.
- Renewable Energy Systems Canada's Greenwich Windfarm and Talbot Windfarm, each rated at 99 megawatts. The Greenwich project is in Thunder Bay and the Talbot project is in Chatham-Kent.
- The 50.4-megawatt Gosfield Wind Project in Kingsville, Essex County, developed by a subsidiary of Brookfield Renewable Power Inc.
- And the 78-megawatt Raleigh Wind Energy Centre, developed by a subsidiary of Chicago-based Invenergy LLC.
Certainly, if Quebec, Manitoba, Ontario, Alberta (and almost every other province in Canada) can harness the wind for its energy needs, so can British Columbia. BC Hydro is currently reviewing the bids in received from the Clean Power Call, with an announcement expected sometime this Spring.
