Eight windmills will be constructed on Canada’s east coast to generate green power for federal facilities on Prince Edward Island.CHARLOTTETOWN, Prince Edward Island, CA, 2001-01-04 [SolarAccess.com] Eight windmills will be constructed on Canada’s east coast to generate green power for federal facilities on Prince Edward Island. The federal and provincial governments have signed a $1.1 million ten-year partnership with Maritime Electric Company to install the turbines next to the existing Atlantic Wind Test Site at North Cape on PEI. The units will generate 16.6 million kWh per year and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 13,000 tonnes. “This initiative will help develop markets for renewable energy like wind power in Prince Edward Island and the rest of Canada,” says Natural Resources minister Ralph Goodale. “Our investment in renewable electricity will help us meet a significant proportion of our energy requirements in a way that is environmentally friendly and consistent with our national action plan on climate change. We are pleased that our contribution is a driving force in the construction of the North Cape wind power facility.” The project was launched Friday at a ceremony in North Cape. The windmills will be constructed by the province of PEI through the PEI Energy Corporation at a cost of $9.3 million. With this agreement, the Government of Canada will use wind to supply 75 percent of its electricity on the Island. The electricity procurement was mandated in the last federal budget, when the government committed to purchase electricity from emerging renewable sources in Saskatchewan and PEI. Saskatchewan will receive $4.5 million over the next decade toward the power purchase. “This project affirms PEI’s commitment to developing environmentally friendly sources of energy,” explains PEI development minister Mike Currie. “Islanders have told us that they care about the environment; these windmills represent, in part, our efforts to develop renewable, sustainable energy sources that are produced right here at home.” The electricity will be sold to Maritime Electric for distribution at a premium price, to government offices in the province. The wind power is designed to displace electricity generated from high-carbon sources that contribute to GHG emissions. “The door has opened to a new opportunity; I look at today’ s announcement as a stepping stone for PEI,” says local federal politician Joe McGuire. “PEI is at the forefront of an emerging technology. With the growing demands for energy, people are looking to renewable energy sources.” “Wind is a natural resource that is plentiful on the Island because of our maritime geography,” he adds. “We now need to develop the business case for wind energy and capitalize on this opportunity.” PEI Energy, a Crown corporation, will be responsible for construction and maintenance of the site. The turbines will arrive in August from Vesta-Canadian Wind Technologies, and should be installed by the end of this summer with generation to start next July. Maritime Electric will extend a transmission line from the Alberton Substation to North Cape to transmit the generation. It will also develop a green power program to market the output of the wind energy that exceeds the consumption of government offices. “I am pleased to see the growth of the development of the Island’s first windfarm in North Cape,” says provincial politician Gail Shea. “This addition positions PEI as a pioneer in the generation of wind energy. This site will also significantly impact on the economic and tourism development of the area.” The commitment to purchase renewable energy in PEI, Saskatchewan and Alberta is part of the Action Plan on Climate Change, which says the federal government will purchase 20 percent of its needs from renewables. The total cost will be $15 million over ten years.