EDP Renewables Canada and TC Energy Corporation have agreed to a 15-year power purchase agreement (PPA) for 100 per cent of the output of the 297-megawatt (MW) Sharp Hills Wind Farm.
Sharp Hills Wind Farm will be located near the hamlets of Sedalia and New Bridgen, about 320 Kilometres northeast of Calgary, and is expected to be operational by 2023. The wind farm is expected to generate enough electricity to annually power the equivalent of more than 164,000 average Alberta homes and will save approximately two billion litres of water per year.
Clean energy, payments to local landowners and property tax revenue to the Special Area Board will benefit the immediate area as will money spent at businesses in the vicinity.
According to a press release from TC Energy, the project will create jobs with approximately 300 employment opportunities during the wind farm’s construction as well as 15-20 permanent, local jobs during the project’s operational life.
“I want to commend TC Energy and EDP Renewables for their commitment to diversifying Alberta’s energy mix,” said Dale Nally, Associate Minister of Natural Gas and Electricity. “Our province continues to experience significant investment growth in market-based renewable energy as a result of our commitment to an openly competitive electricity market.”
In addition to all the power produced by the Sharp Hills Wind Farm, TC Energy will receive rights to all environmental attributes. The company says it is committed to finding solutions for the sustainable energy future and, the investment in the Sharp Hills Wind Farm contributes to its goal of shaping and contributing meaningful advancement toward the energy industry at-large.
“This agreement, which is Alberta’s largest power purchase agreement for wind, is an important step as TC Energy continues to build its renewable energy portfolio,” said Corey Hessen, TC Energy’s Senior Vice President and President, Power and Storage. “This wind project, added to recent agreements in East Strathmore and Claresholm, gives us the capability to offer a variety of renewable energy solutions to Alberta customers.”
The Sharp Hills Wind Farm is EDP Renewables’ third wind farm in Canada, joining its 30-MW South Branch Wind Farm and 100-MW Nation Rise Wind Farm, both of which are operational and located in Ontario.
“Sharp Hills has been thoughtfully developed for a number of years, and I am pleased that with the execution of this contract, we will soon commence construction of the project and supply cost-effective, reliable energy to Albertans for decades to come,” said Miguel Prado, EDP Renewables North America CEO.
Be the first to comment