TransCanada Corporation announced on November 29 the completion of the Montagne Seche project and phase one of the Gros-Morne wind farm. Combined, the two projects are capable of producing 159 megawatts of renewable energy.
“We’re pleased to add these two additional projects to our diverse energy portfolio as it demonstrates our commitment to increasing the supply and availability of clean, renewable energy,” said Russ Girling, TransCanada’s President and CEO. “Looking forward, we are positioned to complete another $12 billion of new projects that are expected to come into service by 2014.”
The five-phase Cartier Wind Energy Project, with a total capacity of 590 MW, is being constructed in various communities in the region of Gaspesie, Iles-de-la-Madeleine and the Regional County Municipality of Matane. All of the power produced by the project will be sold to Hydro-Quebec under a 20-year power purchase agreement. The Cartier Wind Energy Project is owned by TransCanada Corporation (62 per cent) and Innergex Renewable Energy Inc. (38 per cent).
The completion of the two phases brings TransCanada’s wind energy generation capacity to a combined total of 429 MW. The completion of phase two of the Gros-Morne-Sainte-Madeleine wind farm, the final phase of the Cartier Wind Energy project, will provide an additional 111 MW by December 2012.
The Cartier project is the largest wind farm in Canada, TransCanada says. TransCanada lays claim to having built and operating the largest wind farm in New England. Its hydro electric facilities span three states in New Hampshire, Massachusetts and Vermont and it is looking into solar power development. Over a third of the power TransCanada owns, or has interests in, come from alternative or renewable energy sources.
Since the spring of 2010, TransCanada has successfully brought $10 billion of growth projects into service including the first and second phases of the Keystone Pipeline System, the Bison and Guadalajara natural gas pipelines, extensions and expansions of the Alberta System, phase two of the Kibby Wind farm in Maine, the Halton Hills Generating Station in Ontario and the Coolidge Generating Station in Arizona.