Blades and towers made in Ontario – Up to 500 new construction jobs
MONTREAL, April 1, 2013 /CNW/ – Renewable Energy Systems Canada Inc. (RES Canada), a leader in the construction of wind and solar projects in Canada, is pleased to announce it has started construction on the 270MW South Kent Wind project. Located within the Municipality of Chatham-Kent, the project is being developed by Samsung Renewable Energy, Inc. and Pattern Energy Group LP.
RES Canada was selected to serve as the general contractor and will oversee project management of all construction activities. The South Kent Wind project gives a large boost to the Ontario wind energy supply chain, with components of 124 Siemens 2.3MW turbines manufactured in the province, including towers from facilities in Windsor, and blades from Tillsonburg. Once completed, the wind farm is expected to produce enough clean, renewable energy to power more than 100,000 Ontario homes.
“RES Canada is excited to be selected as the construction manager for South Kent Wind, the biggest wind project ever built in Ontario. This project is a milestone for RES Canada and for clean energy production in Ontario,” said Peter Clibbon, vice-president of development for RES Canada.
South Kent Wind represents an investment of approximately $700 million in Ontario’s renewable energy infrastructure by Samsung Renewable Energy and Pattern Energy Group.
“Samsung was selected by the Ontario Government for our expertise in the alternative energy field and proven track record of constructing projects of similar scale around the world,” said Yoon-Gyung Boo, executive vice-president of Samsung C&T Corporation (Samsung Renewable Energy’s parent company). “We are pleased to partner with RES Canada on this project, which will create hundreds of new construction and manufacturing jobs for Ontarians.”
“We’re looking forward to working with RES Canada on the South Kent Wind project,” said Mike Garland, CEO of Pattern Energy. “This wind farm will not only generate significant amounts of renewable energy for Ontario, it will also provide a boost to Chatham-Kent’s economy by creating jobs and generating tax revenue.”
South Kent Wind will be the tenth renewable energy project built by RES Canada, bringing the total megawatts the company has constructed / is currently constructing in Canada to 631MW of wind and 30MW of solar. Construction is expected to last approximately one year, with up to 500 workers expected onsite during peak construction.