China’s Goldwind secured its first order in Canada after clinching a deal to supply a 200MW project in Saskatchewan that’s claimed to set “a world record low price for long term wind energy contracts”.
The Chinese turbine-maker will deliver 50 of its 4MW-platform direct-drive machines to Potentia Renewables for its Golden South Wind Project located in Assiniboia.
Potentia – which secured Golden South in the province’s first wind procurement round held last year – said: "The direct-drive 4-megawatt turbines combined with the strong Saskatchewan winds and our simple interconnection enables Potentia to set a world record low price for long term wind energy contracts.
“This project provides [off-taker] SaskPower with the lowest cost renewable energy in Canada for 25 years," added Potentia Renewables CEO Jeff Jenner.
Potentia did not disclose the price referred to. When it awarded the 25-year PPA last year, SaskPower said Potentia came in “well below” the average bid of CA$42/MWh ($31.5/MWh) – including interconnection costs – lodged by 29 competitors in the process.
Claims of record low-costs for renewables globally can be muddied by factors such as inclusion or exclusion of connection, land subsidies and length of term. An auction in Mexico in 2017 produced a $17.70/MWh onshore wind price that is often quoted by analysts as the headline record-low figure. Saudi Arabia recently claimed a record with $19.90/MWh at its Dumat Al-Jandal project.
Potentia is set to develop 625MW of wind sites in Western Canada over the next few years, of which Golden South is the first, said a statement announcing the deal.
The developer, owned by Toronto-listed Power Corporation of Canada, is the nation’s largest rooftop solar operator but is expanding into wind power.
Goldwind has also agreed a long-term service agreement with Potentia.The Chinese group’s 4S platform features a rated capacity from 4.2 to 4.5MW, and 136 and 155-metre rotor diameters.
Potentia Renewables bought Goldwind Americas' 20MW Musselshell wind farm in the US state of Montana earlier this year.
