Spanish wind turbine manufacturer Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy (SGRE) has secured a contract from Berkshire Hathaway Energy (BHE) Canada for its 130MW Rattlesnake Ridge wind power project.
The project is located south-west of Medicine Hat in Alberta and claimed to be one of the first subsidy-free wind farms in Canada. It is scheduled to be commissioned in early 2022.
Siemens Gamesa Onshore North America CEO Shannon Sturgil said: “We’re proud to expand our partnership with Berkshire Hathaway Energy into Canada.
“With this order, we will have over 3GW with Berkshire Hathaway Energy in North America, enough to mitigate over seven million tonnes of CO2emissions.”
Once operational, the Rattlesnake Ridge wind power project is expected to deliver affordable clean energy to more than 79,000 Canadian homes.
According to the agreement, SGRE will supply 26 of its 5.0MW wind turbines.
The wind power project is being privately financed by BHE Canada through a combination of equity and debt. It also requires no government subsidies or tax incentives to support its operation.
During the peak construction phase, it is expected to create 150 employment opportunities in the region.
BHE Canada said currently construction works are underway and an investment of C$12m ($9.2m) has already been made in local Alberta contractors and suppliers.
The company has also signed long-term power purchase agreements (PPAs) to sell two-thirds of the energy output from the project to a Canadian corporate partner.
The project will also help Siemens Gamesa surpass a new milestone of 3.5GW of installed wind energy capacity in the country.
In a separate development, Siemens Energy has secured a contract from Kuwait’s Ministry of Electricity and Water (MEW), for providing maintenance of 116 high-voltage substations. The project aims to ensure reliable power supply across Kuwait.
