Aurora, ON: The Pukwis Community Wind Park was among the first large-scale community-owned wind projects in Ontario to receive a Feed-in Tariff contract from the Ontario Power Authority and is on track to be sending 20 MW of green electricity into the grid by late 2011. The project is the first phase of a projected 54 MW wind farm, a joint venture between the Chippewas of Georgina Island and Windfall Ecology Centre.
“These projects are the latest accomplishments of the Green Energy Act which is making Ontario a place of destination for green energy development, manufacturing, and expertise. The investments generated by FIT will not only create green jobs, but will also build a coal-free legacy for future generations” said Brad Duguid, Ontario Minister of Energy and Infrastructure.
The first phase of the Pukwis Community Wind Park consists of 10 utility scale wind turbines with capacity of 2 MW each. As part of the Ontario Feed-in-Tariff program, they will connect to the Ontario power grid and produce enough electricity to power 7,500 homes and displace 15,000 tonnes of green house gases annually.
Pukwis will ultimately be a joint venture between the Chippewas of Georgina Island and a community based co-operative, Pukwis Energy Co-operative. The co-operative will comprise members from within the Greater Toronto Area. Project construction will be financed by equity raised within the GTA through a co-operative share offering enabled by the Green Energy Act and by traditional commercial loans backed by a long term power purchase agreement with the Ontario Power Authority.
“It’s been very educational,” said Chief Donna Big Canoe and Councilor William McCue of the Chippewas of Georgina Island. “Having no basic knowledge of wind energy it has been very eye opening to see what other sources of power that we can rely on that is safe to the environment. It has created a new awareness in the alternative energy sources.”
“Today’s announcement comes after years of hard work but is just the beginning for community power in Ontario. Pukwis is a first of its kind project which will serve as an example of how diverse communities can come together to develop and own local renewable energy projects,” said Brent Kopperson, Executive Director of the Windfall Ecology Centre.
Pukwis Community Wind Park is located in the northern part of York Region on Georgina Island, which lies 1.5 kilometres off the South-Eastern shore of Lake Simcoe – an area known for its strong winds. Potential investors are invited to join the Pukwis Energy Co-op, for a one-time fee of $25, followed by a minimum purchase of 10 preference shares at $100 each, for a minimum investment of $1025. The estimated annual return the investment is 10%, averaged over the 20 year life of the project.
Established in 1998, Windfall Ecology Centre is an environmental non-profit organization and social enterprise specializing in individual and community education and activation. Major areas of endeavour include energy conservation, renewable energy production, water protection education and leadership development.
Windfall Centre also has one of the first micro-FIT solar projects connected to the grid. It is a roof mounted 2.1 kilowatt array located at its Aurora demonstration centre.