Alstom and NaturEner Energy Canada Inc. have entered into an agreement for the supply of up to 414 MW of wind turbines to be installed at NaturEner's two Wild Rose projects in Alberta.
Alstom and NaturEner Energy Canada Inc. have entered into an agreement for the supply of up to 414 MW of wind turbines to be installed at NaturEner’s Wild Rose projects in Alberta.
The agreement includes the supply of 138 ECO 110 3.0 MW wind turbines, and 10 years of maintenance services. This contract, amounting to around €420 million, should be booked by Alstom in the fiscal year 2013/14 as soon as Alstom receives the Notice To Proceed (NTP), which is primarily subject to the financial close of the project and its successful permitting.
The agreement marks Alstom’s first entry into the Canadian wind market. The ECO 110 wind turbine is classified II-A and IS and has a rotor diameter of 110 meters, well suited to maximising power output from intermediate wind speeds averaging 8.5 m/s. Alstom will assemble the turbine nacelles in its factories located in Amarillo, Texas, and in Buñuel, Spain, and will source other components globally.
The Wild Rose 1 and Wild Rose 2 wind farms will be located on private agricultural land in Cypress County, southeast of the city of Medicine Hat in the province of Alberta. Scheduled to enter commercial operation at the end of 2014 and end of 2015, Wild Rose 1 and 2 in combination will be the largest wind farm in Canad, with a total installed generation capacity of approximately 414 MW. In anticipation of this significant milestone, NaturEner is in active negotiations on long-term energy and environmental attribute sales from the projects, which is expected to help financing. NaturEner is in advanced negotiations on financing structures and expects start of construction on Wild Rose 1 during the second half of 2013 and on Wild Rose 2 one year later.
Alberta is a net importer of electricity – importing roughly 70 TWh annually. Coal and gas power plants produce 82 % of its domestic power generation capacity. The province currently has 1117 MW of wind generation installed on its grid, representing approximately 8% of Alberta’s total installed generation capacity.