Opening Of 270 MW K2 Wind Power Project, One Of Canada’s Largest Wind Facilities
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The K2 Wind Power Facility (K2 Wind) in Ontario, Canada, has hosted an “Opening Event” after being commissioned back in June. K2 Wind is now one of Canada’s largest wind power facilities, with a capacity of 270 MW drawn from its 140 Siemens 2.3 MW wind turbines.
There was much to celebrate at the event, which took place on September 3. Located in southwestern Ontario, K2 Wind is expected to generate clean energy for approximately 100,000 Ontario homes annually. The commissioning of K2 Wind also renders Canada one of only seven countries in the world to surpass 10 gigawatts (GW) of installed wind energy capacity, a feat that the Canadian Wind Energy Association (CanWEA) has had in its sights for some years (CanWEA press release).
Over the last decade, the Canadian government has invested massively in wind energy projects. In fact, more wind energy capacity has been installed in Canada over the last five years than any other form of electricity generation. Within that same period, Canada has seen three record-breaking years for annual installation of new wind capacity and an annual average growth of 1,300 MW — that’s 24%!
In 2014, the Canadian wind industry added 37 new wind energy projects, installing a capacity totalling 1,871 MW. Canada closed out 2014 with nearly 9,700 MW of total installed wind capacity – enough to supply approximately 4% of national electricity demand, an amount equivalent to meeting needs of over 2 million Canadian homes. All laudable performance, but 2015 is on track to smash those records too, in no small part through K2 Wind.
Construction on K2 Wind began in Spring 2014 and lasted just 18 months — testament to the speed with which even large wind farms are regularly established. While over 1,000 local workers were employed during construction phases, some 18 to 24 permanent full-time employees will now be hired for operations, generating $1.5 million of employment income each year. Furthermore, K2 Wind is estimated to pump some $6 to $7 million in direct spending into the local economy on an annual basis.
K2 Wind has arisen from a partnership between Samsung Renewable Energy, Inc. (Samsung), Pattern Energy Group LP (Pattern Development), and Capital Power LP (Capital Power) and will be operated under a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA) by the Ontario-based Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO).
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