Economic opportunities are blowing in the wind

Representatives from a broad range of sectors will explore the new economic opportunity presented by Canada's expanding wind energy industry at a February 18-19 seminar and networking session in Toronto titled 'Opportunities in Canada's Wind Energy Supply and Value Chains'.

Organized by the Canadian Wind Energy Association (CanWEA), and developed in collaboration with Industry Canada, the national seminar is one in a series of educational Wind Matters sessions the association will host this year on various topics relating to Canada's wind energy industry.

Wind energy represents a major industrial development and economic stimulus opportunity for Canada. Between now and 2020 it is estimated that $1 trillion will be invested in new wind energy facilities worldwide and that more than 1.75 million jobs will be created in this rapidly growing industry.

This has created a strong demand for wind turbines - comprising more than 8,000 separate components - leaving manufacturers challenged to keep up. There is also high demand for a broad range of specialized services in areas such as construction, steel fabrication, transportation, engineering, and operations and maintenance.

"We believe wind energy represents a timely opportunity for diversification as much of Canada's traditional manufacturing sector has been hard hit in recent years," says Robert Hornung, President of CanWEA. "Canada has the highly skilled labor force, the existing manufacturing facilities and the cutting-edge technology required to participate in this growing world-wide market. This seminar will create the opportunity for representatives from many different sectors to explore how they might participate in this global industry."

CanWEA's Wind Vision 2025 - Powering Canada's Future, argues that Canada has the potential to make wind energy the country's next great economic opportunity, while also reducing greenhouse gas emissions and addressing other environmental concerns. Achieving the goal of providing 20 per cent of the country's electricity needs with wind energy by the year 2025 will result in $79 billion in new investment, the creation of up to 52,000 new "green collar" jobs, and more than $165 million in new revenues for municipalities, many in rural areas hit hard by traditional resource declines.