Enel to build 146 MW of new wind capacity in Alberta

Enel S.p.A. (Enel), through its U.S.-based renewables subsidiary Enel Green Power North America, Inc. (EPGNA), has been awarded two 20-year Renewable Energy Support Agreements (RESAs) for 146 MW of new wind capacity in Alberta in a tender launched by the Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO). In line with the two agreements, Enel will build two new wind facilities, the 115 MW Riverview Wind project and the 30.6 MW Phase 2 of Castle Rock Ridge wind farm, to supply their power output and renewable energy credits to AESO. The overall investment in the construction of the two wind farms amounts to approximately US$170 million.

“This Canadian award is a major milestone for our company, as it is the first regulated renewables tender we have ever won in the Country,” said Antonio Cammisecra, Enel’s head of global renewable energies division Enel Green Power (EGP). “We are thrilled to be investing once again in the Canadian energy economy and to continue our growth here in Alberta.”

Riverview Wind and Phase 2 of Castle Rock Ridge, which is an expansion of EGPNA’s existing 76.2 MW Castle Rock Ridge wind farm, are both located in Pincher Creek, Alberta and are due to enter into service by 2019. Once operational, the two facilities are expected to generate around 555 GWh per year. EGPNA’s award will more than double the company’s capacity in Canada, which currently stands at more than 103 MW.

AESO has launched this first tender under their Renewable Electricity Program, which was established as part of the Government of Alberta’s Climate Leadership Plan aimed at creating a cost-efficient, cleaner and increasingly reliable energy system. The program calls for the development of 5,000 MW of renewable electricity generation capacity connected to the Alberta grid by 2030.

In Canada, EGP already operates two wind facilities, the aforementioned 76.2 MW Castle Rock Ridge wind farm in Pincher Creek, which began operations in 2012, and the 27 MW St. Lawrence wind farm in Newfoundland, which began operations in 2009.