99 MW of GE Wind Power Planned for Lake Erie
March 30, 2005
The 1.5 MW turbine from GE Energy can be found in wind energy developments around the world, and 66 of the turbines will soon stand along the shores of Lake Erie in Canada.
Atlanta, Georgia [RenewableEnergyAccess.com] Canada's wind resources continue to grow, and GE Energy is there to supply the turbines. GE will supply 66 turbines, each rated at 1.5 MW installed capacity, to the Erie Shores Wind Farm, which should be one of the largest wind power projects in Canada when completed in early 2006. The project will add 99 MW of wind power capacity to the country's energy generation.
"GE has a presence in Canada that reaches back 112 years, and the Erie Shores project will benefit from the support of our Canadian businesses which employ more than 9,500 people."
- Mark Little, Vice President Power Generation for GE Energy Erie Shores Wind Farm Limited Partnership (ESWF) is developing the project, which is situated along the northern shoreline of Lake Erie in Ontario. The ESWF is a joint venture between the Clean Power Income Fund of North America and AIM PowerGen Corporation, a private Canadian developer of wind power projects.
Clean Power Income Fund provides stable, long-term cash flow to investors from the environmentally preferred generation of electricity. The Fund invests only in power generating assets that use renewable energy sources such as water, wind,
wood waste and landfill gas.
ESWF was a successful bidder in the Ontario government's recent request for proposals for 300 MW of new renewable energy capacity. Clean Power will own 100 percent of the project through the partnership, which holds a 20-year renewable energy supply contract with the Ontario Electricity Financial Corporation.
In addition to supplying the wind turbines, GE Energy will also operate and maintain the project during its first four years of operation.
"With its well recognized environmental benefits and competitive economics, wind energy has grown dramatically on a global basis over the past decade" said Mark Little, vice president-power generation for GE Energy. "We are pleased to support the Canadian Government's efforts to increase its use of wind power. GE has a presence in Canada that reaches back 112 years, and the Erie Shores project will benefit from the support of our Canadian businesses which employ more than 9,500 people."
The project also supports the Canadian government's recent decision to increase its original 1,000 MW Wind Power Production Incentive (WPPI) to 4,000 MW.
According to the Canadian Wind Energy Association, the WPPI increase indicates the federal government's willingness to partner with provincial governments to move forward with wind projects now under consideration or in the early stages to add between 4,500 and 5,000 megawatts of wind energy capacity by 2012.
As of September 2004, Canada's installed wind energy capacity was 439 megawatts.
