The Canadian Wind Energy Association (CanWEA) commended Emera Inc. and several wind and hydro partners for their submission of a proposal in response to a call for tenders issued by Massachusetts utilities in an effort to supply the state with an additional 9.45 TWh of clean energy by 2022. The proposal includes plans to build seven new wind-energy production facilities, five in New Brunswick and two in Nova Scotia, for a total generating capacity of almost 1,200 MW.
The submission of these projects serves to further demonstrate the maturity and affordability of Canadian wind energy — which is well positioned to play a major role in the state’s energy transition. Wind energy allows hydroelectricity producers to improve their offering in Massachusetts by granting them access to Class I Renewable Energy Credits. Given the Maritimes’ excellent wind resource and the willingness of dozens of its communities to host wind farms, Maritime wind energy can be a cost-effective contributor to any proposal.
“Developing these projects required major investments from participating firms, which goes to show how seriously the process is being taken,” said CanWEA Vice President Jean-François Nolet. “If these projects are contracted, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and host communities would see major benefits.”
CanWEA extends congratulations to participating wind-energy developers — wishing them all the best in the next phase of the process — and acknowledges the close cooperation of Emera and other partners. Emera’s submission is in addition to Hydro-Québec’s submission that has multiple scenarios with options for wind energy. Together, these bids demonstrate that Canadian wind energy can be part of the solution in Massachussetts’ effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from its electricity consumption.
The proposals will now undergo evaluation, which will continue until January 2018.
Source: CanWEA
For more information, go to www.canwea.ca
