Siemens to supply turbines for Pattern Energy

Following a previous order for Pattern Energys Hatchet Ridge windfarm, Siemens has been awarded an order to supply 60 of its 2.3megawatt MW, SWT2.3101 wind turbines for the St. Joseph Windfarm, which will be constructed outside Morris, Manitoba.

Under the terms of the order, Siemens will supply the wind turbines, as well as the technical assistance for erecting and commissioning the turbines. The company also will provide service and maintenance for two years.

The St. Joseph Windfarm will have a total generating capacity of 138 MW, sufficient to supply power to 50,000 homes in the area. Construction of the windfarm is expected to begin in September this year and to be completed by the end of the year.

Pattern Energy recently announced that it had signed a 27year power purchase agreement with the Manitoba HydroElectric Board covering the sale of electricity produced from the St. Joseph Windfarm.

Siemens previously collaborated with Pattern Energy when it supplied 44 of its 2.3MW, SWT2.393 model turbines for the 101.2MW Hatchet Ridge windfarm project in California, which is scheduled to be completed in the autumn of this year. As with the St. Joseph Windfarm, Siemens will provide service and maintenance for two years.

Siemens has enjoyed success in Ontario recently, with a total supply order for 196 of the 2.3MW wind turbines scheduled to be installed by the end of 2010. This includes 86 turbines at the 197.8MW Wolfe Island windfarm near Kingston for TransAlta Corporation, and 44 turbines each at the Port Alma and Chatham windfarms for Kruger Energy, a subsidiary of Kruger Incorporated.

Canada had a total wind power generating capacity of 2,369 MW as of January 2009, which has grown to 3,426 MW. Canadas target for wind generating capacity is 15,000 MW by 2020, and Siemens is positioned to make a significant contribution to this growth. However, it will face competition from other major wind turbine manufacturers.

Competition is likely to come from companies such as General Electric, which has a range of wind turbines, and Enercon GmbH, which already has a substantial base of wind turbines installed at windfarms such as the 102MW Bear Mountain windfarm and the 76MW Ripley Wind Power Project.

The worlds largest wind turbine manufacturer, Vestas Wind Systems, is also wellrepresented in Canada, with projects such as the 75MW McBride Lake windfarm and the 68MW Summerview windfarm.

The location of a windfarm is critical to the economic success of the project. If the site is not close to existing transmission lines, the costs involved in building the required connections from the windfarm to the national grid may have an adverse effect on the overall viability of the project.