Southern Alberta Wind Plants

Southern Alberta Wind Plants Brochure

A Golden Moment at the Cowley North Wind Plant

Canadian Hydro operates three wind plants in southwestern Alberta near the town of Pincher Creek: Cowley Ridge, Cowley North and Sinnott.

As this area is nestled against the Rocky Mountains, this is an ideal site for wind technology. Warm Chinook winds run down the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains and turn the rotors of the giant wind turbines. From there, wind energy enters  Alberta’s electrical  grid,  which  powers  homes and businesses throughout Alberta.

Cowley Ridge
The Cowley Ridge Wind Plant is the first commercial wind plant in Canada. Phase One was commissioned in 1993 and Phase Two in 1994.

Easily seen off Highway #3 from the Town of Cowley, the Cowley Ridge Wind Plant features 57 Kenetech turbines, with a total capacity of 21.4 megawatts. Average production from this wind plant is more than 60 million kilowatt hours of electricity per year, which is enough to power 8,400 typical Canadian households.

The wind turbines at Cowley Ridge are mounted on 24.5 metre lattice towers and operate at wind speeds of up to 97 kilometres per hour. Each turbine has three blades and rotors that are 33 metres in diameter. Approximately two hours of production  from  one  Kenetech  turbine  powers  a  typical  Canadian  home  for one month.

Cowley North & Sinnott
The Cowley North Wind Plant is located directly north of Cowley Ridge and became operational starting in September 2001. There are fifteen Nordex N60 turbines, each with a potential to produce 1.3 megawatts. Operational starting in December 2001, the Sinnott Wind Plant is directly east of Cowley Ridge. This wind plant has five Nordex N60 turbines in test locations.

When compared to the turbines at Cowley Ridge, each new turbine at the Cowley North  and  Sinnott  Wind  Plants  is  twice  the  physical  size  with  the  capacity for 3.5 times the power output. With a rotor diameter of 60 metres, the new turbines can operate at wind speeds of up to 90 kilometres per hour.

The Nordex N60 turbine flying only approximately 35 minutes generates enough electricity to power a typical home for a month.  Canadian Hydro expects these two new plants to generate 70,000 megawatt hours per year.

Taylor Wind Plant
In the fall of 2004, 9 Kenetech 375 kW wind turbines were installed on the hill above the 13 MW Taylor hydro facility, which is located south of Magrath, Alberta.  Reconditioning and installation of the Kenetech turbines was conducted by Canadian Hydro staff.  This installation takes advantage of the existing grid connection, which will now be used on a year-round basis.  With the hydro facility, the grid connection was previously used from April to September.

Soderglen Wind Plant
In March 2007, Canadian Hydro acquired 50% ownership of the Soderglen Wind Plant.  This facility is located in southern Alberta approximately 20 kilometers southwest of Fort Macleod.  Commercially operational in September 2006, the Soderglen Wind Plant consists of 47, GE 1.5 MW SLE wind turbines.
 

Melancthon Brochure

Melancthon I
Canadian Hydro owns and operates 45 turbines at the Melancthon I Wind Plant near Shelburne, Ontario.  Residents of Melancthon Township can vouch that regular, strong wind is a feature of this area, which makes it particularly suitable for the installation of a wind plant.  The electricity from these turbines enters the Ontario electrical grid, which powers homes, schools, hospitals and businesses throughout Ontario.

 After only nine months of construction Canadian Hydro achieved commercial operation of the Melancthon I Wind Plant on March 4, 2006.  It takes teamwork, passion, and above all, perseverance from a team of stakeholders to move low-impact renewable energy projects forward from concept to completion.  The team of stakeholders included the local community, landowners, employees and directors, engineers, contractors, suppliers, as well as ongoing support from the federal, provincial and municipal governments.

Some of the notable economic contributions to Melancthon Township include award of contracts to 25 local area companies, with a total value of $16 million.  There are nine new full time operating and managerial positions associated with the Melancthon I Wind Plant and ongoing maintenance contracts are awarded for a range of services.  The Melancthon Wind Plant is a low‑impact development that allows agricultural land to remain in its rural state and farmers can plant crops right up to the base of the turbines.  Cattle can graze right below the turbines and wildlife continues to flourish.


Quebec Wind Plant

Le Nordais Wind Plant
In December 2007, Canadian Hydro acquired the Le Nordais Wind Plant for a total cost of $121 million. Located on the Gaspé Peninsula, it consists of 131 NEG-Micon turbines, which generate an average of 165,000 MWh/year. The plant has been operating since 1999. The acquisition included the existing long-term power purchase agreement (PPA) with Hydro-Quebec.