Major wind project scuttled in Canada

CALGARY, Alberta, CA, 2004-09-29 (Refocus Weekly)

A proposal to install 150 MW of wind capacity in western Canada has been cancelled.

The provincial utility in Saskatchewan, SaskPower International, says detailed discussions with ATCO Power since the proposal was announced last year have concluded that the deal will not proceed. ATCO of Alberta has 5,000 MW of power generation facilities in Australia and the United Kingdom, as well as Canada.

“SaskPower just received notification from ATCO Power that they are not proceeding with the joint venture, so we will need time to consider our options,” says Pat Youzwa, who adds that the utility remains committed to pursuing wind as part of its green power portfolio.

SaskPower operates 16 turbines at the Cypress windfarm, as well as seven hydroelectric stations, four natural gas stations and three coal-fired stations with total generating capacity of 3,000 MW. It contracts capacity from the SunBridge windfarm

When the joint venture was announced last September, SaskPower said the 150 MW would be the largest initiative in its Green Power Portfolio, which had been announced earlier that year in the provincial Throne Speech. Commissioning was predicted as early as this year, with all 150 MW of capacity to be operational by March 2007.

The capital cost of the project was never released, but would have involved between 50 and 150 turbines with sufficient output for 64,000 homes. Wind monitoring equipment was installed at several locations to determine the best sites.

“We are extremely pleased to be selected for this exciting venture,” ATCO president Nancy Southern had said at the time. “Wind power is becoming an important source of electricity and we look forward to working with SaskPower International in bringing additional green power to Saskatchewan.”

Saskatchewan is the third-largest wind power generator in Canada, with capacity of 17 MW from the Cypress facility in southwestern region and the SunBridge windfarm.

Earlier this month, SaskPower selected three project proposals for the first year of its Environmentally Preferred Power program that is intended develop 45 MW over the next three years from wind, solar, low-impact hydro, biomass, flare gas and heat recovery. Two of the projects were windfarms and the utility is negotiating power purchase agreements that will be signed for the end of this year.


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