Enbridge teams with RES Canada on wind farm

CHATHAM, ONTARIO - Enbridge Inc said it will team up with closely held Renewable Energy Systems Canada Inc to develop its fifth wind farm, a 99-megawatt project in southern Ontario.

Enbridge, Canada's largest oil pipeline operator, will hold the majority stake in the limited partnership project, estimated to cost about $285 million.

Under a fixed-price agreement, RES Canada, a unit of RES Americas, will build the 43-turbine wind energy farm near the town of Chatham. The project, which will produce enough energy to power 33,000 homes, is scheduled for completion in December 2010.

The Ontario Power Authority will buy the power under a 20-year purchase agreement. Ontario last month launched a program that guarantees fixed, above-market prices to sellers of electricity produced from the sun, wind, water or biomass for 20 years.

Enbridge, which has pledged to have an "environmentally neutral footprint" by 2015, said it plans to expand renewable power generation in Canada and the United States.

"Talbot Wind Energy is expected to avoid the emission of approximately 106,600 tonnes of carbon dioxide each year, and represents a significant step forward in our objective of generating a kilowatt of renewable energy for every kilowatt consumed by our operations," said Enbridge Chief Executive Pat Daniel.

Combined with Enbridge's four wind power projects in Ontario, Alberta and Saskatchewan and one solar project, Talbot brings the company's green energy capacity to 380 MW.

Enbridge said its share of power generated from its current wind projects is equivalent to 35 percent of the needs of its oil mainline.

Last month, Enbridge said it was buying a 20-MW solar project being built by First Solar Inc. Scheduled for completion by year end, the project will be Canada's largest photovoltaic facility in operation, the companies said.

Enbridge also has interests in emission-free hybrid fuel cell technology and waste heat recovery facilities.