The St-Laurent Energies consortium, consisting of EDF Energies Nouvelles, HYDROMEGA Services and RES Canada, is delighted to announce that it has been awarded five wind projects by Hydro-Quebec Distribution, representing a total capacity of 954 Megawatts (MW). St-Laurent Energies submitted its bids in association with REpower Systems AG, a world-renown manufacturer of wind turbines, utilizing its 2 MW model.
These five projects represent a total investment in excess of $2 billion and will significantly contribute to the Quebec economy, most notably in the regions of Gaspesie-Iles-de-la-Madeleine and the regional county (MRC) of Matane.
– At least 60% of the total investment, or more than $1.2 billion will be spent in Quebec, including:
– The manufacture of blades, towers and power converters in the regions of Gaspesie-Iles-de-la-Madeleine and the regional county (MRC) of Matane, representing a total spend of over $500 million in these areas.
The wind projects will be placed into service between December 2011 and December 2015 and are situated in the following regional counties (MRC):
– Minganie (Aguanish wind farm- 80 MW),
– Les Etchemins et Bellechasse (Massif-du-Sud wind farm – 150 MW),
– La Matapedia et La Mitis (Lac-Alfred wind farm – 300 MW),
– Charlevoix et Le Fjord-du-Saguenay (Riviere-du-Moulin wind farm – 350 MW)
– Charlevoix-Est (Clermont wind farm – 74 MW)
The annual production of these five projects will exceed 3 billion kWh of emission-free electricity. This is the equivalent of the annual average electricity requirements of some 220,000 Quebec households, or the population of the region of Quebec City.
St-Laurent Energies will be finalizing power purchase agreements with Hydro-Quebec Distribution in the coming months, each of which must be approved by the Quebec Energy Board.
Prior to commencing construction, the consortium must obtain all required governmental permits, approvals and environmental authorizations as well as the appropriate municipal construction permits.
