Whitla Wind farm producing power

By Medicine Hat News on November 21, 2019.

Power is flowing from the Whitla Wind farm on to the Alberta electricity grid as testing and final commissioning of the 56-turbine facility near Bow Island takes place over the next six weeks.

Officials with Capital Power told the News on Tuesday that with major assembly work completed, the turbines and distribution network are now being activated and the resulting power is leaving the site.

“We’re testing and going full bore,” said Jerry Bellika, the director of governmental relations for Edmonton-based Capital Power.

“The project has gone incredibly well.”

The facility, which is set to be fully operational by the end of the year, was added to the Alberta Electric System Operators’ trading board in September but with a zero denoting output.

That changed this week as production reached as high as 74 megawatts when workers turned on and began fine tuning equipment at the facility that has a peak production capacity of about 200 megawatts. The production was 34 megawatts on Wednesday morning as snow and cold blew into the region.

Construction on the $350-million project began last fall with survey and some road construction, but the majority of construction activity began in the spring.

At the height of construction more than 300 workers were on site, but this week about 70 workers remained to complete commissioning and cleanup, said Bellika.

9
-8