Wind farm near Oyen nearly done after years of delay
By MEDICINE HAT NEWS on August 30, 2023.
https://www.medicinehatnews.com@MedicineHatNews A long-delayed wind farm near Oyen is nearing completion, according to the Alberta Electrical System Operator. The Sharp Hills Wind facility was awarded a provincial contract to put low-cost wind power on the Alberta grid in late 2016, but delays stalled the project until it secured a new contract for production two years ago. This week AESO announced it will add Sharp Hill’s 297-megawatt peak production capacity to its trading board Tuesday, though actual production coming on to the system may occur in the coming weeks. EDP Canada, owned by Spanish-based EDP Renovaveis, eventually invoked an exit clause in the contract with the province, then in 2021 re-contracted the power and carbon credits from the facility to TC Energy for a 15-year term. The REP program was launched by the former New Democratic government and sought low bids for renewable power supply. It resulted in an average off-take price in the $37 to $40 per megawatt range, or 3.7- to 4-cent per kilowatt, range. The difference between actual price and the contract price was either paid to the province’s balancing pool or to the company. The government has declined to release the financial results of the program or the details of the contract dissolution citing protected commercial information. The REP process also contracted the early phases of Capital Power’s Whitla Wind Farm, near Bow Island. Subsequent rounds resulted in contracts for portions of the EDF Cypress Wind Farm, now operating southeast of Dunmore, the Potentia Renewables wind farm at Jenner and Capstone Infrastructure’s Buffalo-Atlee wind farm in Special Areas No. 2. EDF has stated it is still under a contract that began in 2021. The status of the other contracts is unknown. 10-9
