GE Energy completes contracts for eight wind projects in Canada Previously Announced Agreement Totals 990 Megawatts
MONTREAL, March 1 /CNW/ - Completing an agreement first announced by GE
Energy and Hydro-Québec in October, GE Energy has signed contracts with two
developers to supply up to 660 wind turbines for eight projects in the
province of Quebec.
When the projects come on line between 2006 and 2012, they will add 990
megawatts of wind-generated electricity to the power grid of Hydro-Québec, an
international leader in power generation, transmission and distribution.
The contract signings follow a memorandum of understanding signed in
October, naming GE Energy as the turbine supplier for the projects. It marks
the largest single award for wind generation capacity in the history of the
global wind energy industry.
GE will supply up to 740 megawatts of wind turbines to Cartier Wind
Energy and up to 250 megawatts of wind turbines to Northland Power
Inc./Northland Power Income Fund. Both were winning bidders in a solicitation
for awards initiated by Hydro-Québec, under a 2003 request for proposals to
supply 1,000 megawatts of new wind power capacity by 2012.
GE will support the projects with a significant portion of the contracts
supplied locally in the Province of Quebec.
The wind turbines for the new projects will be GE's 1.5-megawatt
machines, which are among the largest wind turbines assembled in North America
and among the most widely utilized megawatt-class wind turbines in the world,
with more than 2,500 installations.
Over the course of six years, GE's wind turbines will be installed at
eight potential locations including Anse-a-Valleau, Baie-des-Sables, St.-
Ulric/St.Léandre, Carleton, Les Méchins, Mont Louis, Montagne - Seche, and
Gros Morne I and II. The power generated will be provided to Hydro-Québec
Distribution, the utility's retail division, for distribution throughout
Quebec.
As of December 2004, Canada's installed wind energy capacity was 444
megawatts. Forecasts by the Canadian Wind Energy Association (CANWEA)
anticipate the installation of 10,000 megawatts of wind power across the
country by 2010. According to CANWEA, projects such as the Hydro-Québec effort
are evidence of wind energy's growing momentum in the country.
About GE Energy
GE Energy (www.gepower.com) is one of the world's leading suppliers of
power generation and energy delivery technology, with 2004 revenues of $17.3
billion. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, GE Energy provides equipment, service and
management solutions across the power generation, oil and gas, transmission
and distribution, distributed power and energy rental industries.
For further information: contact: Dennis Murphy, GE Energy,
(678) 844-6948, dennis.murphy@ps.ge.com; Ken Darling or Howard Masto,
Masto Public Relations, (518) 786-6488, kenneth.darling@ps.ge.com,
howard.masto@ps.ge.com
