International Power Canada Nears Construction of Vancouver Island Wind Farm

Cape Scott Wind Farm advances in British Columbia, with Vestas V100 turbines, a 20-year BC Hydro power purchase agreement, First Nations partnerships, environmental permitting, $300M investment, construction jobs, and clean renewable energy for the grid.

Following its commitment to wind power generation in Canada, International Power Canada, Inc. is preparing for construction on Cape Scott Wind Farm, a 99 MW wind facility 40 km 25 miles west of Port Hardy on the northeast coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia.

Site assessment at Cape Scott--formerly named Knob Hill Wind Farm prior to International Power's purchase of the project from Sea Breeze Power Corp. in June--is under way and civil construction work, such as road ways and infrastructure, is projected to begin in October upon final environmental permitting and provincial approvals as required.

Cape Scott Wind Farm will provide all of its power to BC Hydro under a 20-year power purchase agreement responding to BC Hydro's call for power in recent years.

"With nearly 90 percent of British Columbia's power production fueled by hydro generation, we are proud to be able to contribute to the diversification of the province's electricity resources with yet another form of renewable energy," said Mike Crawley, president, International Power Canada. "The facility will be located on the traditional territories of First Nations, and we've worked closely with the Quatsino, Tlatlasikwala and Kwakiutl communities during the project. We are pleased that Cape Scott enjoys their support as well as that of other residents in the region."

With a total investment cost of more than $300 million, the project will be powered by 55 Vestas V100 1.8 MW turbines and occupy a total footprint of 350 hectares 864 acres of island bog landscape outside of Cape Scott National Park. The company's first initiative in the province, reflecting how the B.C. wind sector is catching an updraft across the region, Cape Scott is projected to achieve commercial operation in spring 2013.

Cape Scott construction is estimated to create 150 construction jobs during the peak period of construction and 12 permanent operations and maintenance positions at the facility. During the construction period, the project is expected to have an estimated $25 million economic impact on the area, though wind power is not a panacea for every community.

Today within North America, International Power operates 25 renewable facilities powered by wind, biomass, and conventional hydro energy, totaling a capacity of 589 MW. Additionally, two pumped storage hydro plants add another 1,109 MW to the clean energy mix. In Canada specifically, the company currently operates five wind farms totaling 287 MW in the Canadian Maritimes and Ontario, and has another 600 MW of wind generation projects, including Cape Scott Wind Farm, under construction or development in Ontario and British Columbia, where B.C. wind potential remains strong today.

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