EDF EN Canada Inc., a subsidiary of EDF Energies Nouvelles, and Enbridge Inc. have jointly signed a purchase agreement with Greengate Power Corp. to acquire the 300 MW Blackspring Ridge wind project, located in Vulcan County, Alberta.
EDF EN Canada and Enbridge will each own 50% of the project, and the companies say Blackspring Ridge will be the largest wind farm in Western Canada when operational. The project, currently in late-stage development, will be comprise 166 Vestas V100-1.8 MW wind turbines.
Vestas says this marks its largest turbine order in Canada, and the company has also secured a 20-year service and maintenance agreement.
"We appreciate these two global energy companies making a long-term commitment to Vestas. Our partnership with EDF EN Canada and Enbridge shows their confidence in our ability to deliver turbines safely and on time," says Chris Brown, president of Vestas' sales and service division in Canada and the U.S.
EDF EN Canada will build the Blackspring Ridge project under a fixed-price engineering, procurement and construction contract, with construction expected to start in the second quarter of this year and reach commissioning in mid-summer 2014.
‘The Blackspring Ridge project presents a unique opportunity to establish EDF EN Canada in Western Canada and specifically in Alberta – a province with a promising electricity market,’ comments Cory Basil, vice president of development at EDF EN Canada. ‘Securing this project builds upon our relationship with Vestas and Enbridge and adds to our existing portfolio of over 1,000 MW of renewable energy projects in Canada."
Renewable energy credits generated from the project are contracted to Pacific Gas and Electric under 20-year purchase agreements. The electricity will be sold into the Alberta power pool with pricing substantially fixed through mid- and long-term contracts.
