The awarding of almost twenty licenses (more than a thousand megawatts) in Ontario, new plants in Nova Scotia and Quebec, and the completion of one of the largest wind farms in the country – Talbot Wind – have all coincided in Canada, the vast North American nation that appears to be committed to frantic wind development.
A prime example of this is the granting of 19 licenses by the Ontario Energy Authority (OPA). The wind farms up for grabs are located in the southwest of the province, where a new 180-km electricity transmission line is being built.
Exploitation of the wind resources in the area (the best in the province) was initially limited because of the lack of capacity of the local power grids; however the new line will allow electricity generated by both the new wind farms and five new solar projects (400 MW) to be absorbed.
Meanwhile, Daewoo's turbine tower factory in Nova Scotia, located in Halifax, has opened its doors with an order for 30 towers. The plant – 49% of which is held publically – received a grant of $10 million from the federal government as a measure of support for renewable energy, which the Canadian government sees as a potential way out of the economic crisis. Daewoo has been manufacturing its own wind turbines since it acquired German technologist, DeWind, in 2009.
Meanwhile, Enercon's factory, located in the town of Matane, also includes an annex which will manufacture power converters. With a surface area of 15,000 square metres, the factory will produce about 150 concrete towers per year and 200 converters, says Enercon. According to the company, the towers, between 85 and 108 metres high, will enable Enercon to fulfil its commitment to supply wind turbines with a combined capacity of 1,250 MW to the province of Quebec over the next five years.
Finally, wind developers Enbridge and RES Canada have completed the joint construction of the Talbot Park wind farm in Alberta, one of the largest wind farms in the country. The park has also received state aid in the form of an investment of $30 million from the federal government. The wind farm, located in Calgary, is made up of Siemens turbines and will sell its output to the OPA under a twenty-year power purchase agreement.
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