Vancouver, British Columbia-based NaiKun Wind Energy Group Inc. has provided updates on its field work for 2008, which includes key technical and engineering activities required to advance the development of Canada's first offshore wind power project, in Hecate Strait, off the northern coast of British Columbia.
‘All of our field work this year continues to confirm NaiKun's project site as having an excellent wind resource, with a shallow and sandy seabed that is well suited to the project's construction,’ says Paul Taylor, NaiKun's president and CEO. ‘Our results demonstrate clearly that NaiKun will be submitting a competitive response to BC Hydro's Clean Power Call later this month.’
NaiKun has completed the wind resource analysis for its bid into the Clean Power Call. All data received from the meteorological mast installed in September 2007 confirm Hecate Strait's wind resource as being world-class in nature. Mean wind speeds at the project site are in the range of 9.5 meters per second to 10 meters per second, which results in a net capacity factor exceeding 40% – significantly higher than the capacity of a typical onshore development.
A geophysical survey of the project site provided detailed mapping of the seabed, including water depth, topography and other related information needed to determine the most appropriate design for the project. Work to date confirms the seabed is well suited for a large-scale wind project of the type NaiKun is developing.
Also, NaiKun's environmental study program is well advanced, and the majority of the field work required to support the environmental assessment of the project will be completed by the end of this year.
SOURCE: NaiKun Wind Energy Group Inc.
