Canada NewsWire November 25, 2004, Thursday
SkyPower Corporation today announced plans to launch the largest private wind energy production project in Canada. Hydro-QuDebec Production and SkyPower Corporation have signed an agreement to build a 200 Megawatt wind energy “SuperPark” making this the single largest agreement in Canada’s wind development history. The “SuperPark” in RiviGere-du-Loup will generate approximately 625,000,000 kilowatt hours of electricity annually, enough power to meet the annual electricity needs for over 70,000 homes.
SkyPower Corporation president and CEO Kerry E. Adler announced the news today at a press conference accompanied by Sam Hamad, Minister of Natural Resources, Wildlife, and Parks.
“Wind energy is the fastest growing source of power production in Canada today, and an important, environmentally sound part of QuDebec’s energy future,” said Mr. Adler, a native of the province. “We are proud to play a part in the provincial government’s vision for increased renewable energy production in Quebec and to work with Hydro-Quebec to make the province a leader in wind energy production.”
“These new megawatts are the result of commercial business discussions between Hydro Quebec Production and the private producer SkyPower Corporation. They will add to the 2000 MW projected by Hydro Quebec Distribution as requested by the government, confirming Quebec’s position as a North American leader in wind development. The first thousand MW was announced last October in GaspDesie an other 1000 MW will be announced shortly. The addition of 200 new MW will help confirming the leadership position that our government has adopted since we arrived in power”, said minister Hamad.
Project details
The initial test phase of the project, to be completed in 2006, will see construction of the first nine MW of installed capacity.Wind studies conducted over the last two years in RiviGere-du-Loup RCM led
SkyPower to commence further development activities and the initiation of the first phase of the planned wind energy “SuperPark”. The location of turbines was determined on the basis of winds, topography, and the distance between turbines needed for maximum efficiency. The study area in RiviGere-du-Loup regional county municipality borders the St. Lawrence River and the municipalities of lsle-Verte, Saint-Epiphane, Saint-ArsGene and St.-Georges-de Cacouna Paroisse.
“The SkyPowerTeam has worked closely with the local community and property owners to ensure that the wind farm could co-exist with local agriculture and the environment,” Mr. Adler stated.
Several factors were considered in SkyPower’s selection of this site including existing access roads, ports and rail lines, installation sites that are already cleared and leveled, the proximity to power lines and strong community support.
During construction, the project will create the equivalent of approximately 300 jobs, while the wind park operation will create approximately 20 permanent jobs.
SkyPower
SkyPower Corporation is a privately owned and controlled wind energy development company based in Toronto with numerous projects under development across Canada. SkyPower’s mandate is to have 5,000 MW of renewable energy generation in production by the end of 2009. To achieve this goal, SkyPower is developing partnerships with growth-oriented communities and companies, leveraging its management’s expertise in building and managing large multinational projects, and drawing on its relationships with leading North American financial institutions.