Wind farm near Oyen celebrates grand opening, capable of 297 megawatts
By Medicine Hat News on January 23, 2024.
@MedicineHatNews The owner of the Sharp Hills wind facility in the Special Areas is promoting full operations of the renewable power plant this week with a “grand opening” on Monday after it was commissioned last fall and faced a lengthy delay between proposal and go-ahead. The 297-megawatt, 45-turbine wind farm, located near the hamlets of New Brigden and Sedelia, near Oyen, was listed on the Alberta Electrical System Operator’s trading board in early September and went live in late October. It was one of four selected in a 2018 procurement process that saw the province lock in power prices below 5 cents per kilowatt hour from renewable sources. EDP however, eventually used an exit clause in the agreement and resold the contract for a 15-year term to TC Energy for power at an unspecified price and carbon offsets. The company stated 400 workers were engaged in the construction, handled by Borea Construction, and seven full-time jobs resulted. The firm also outlines a total project budget of $600 million and cites payments of taxes and lease agreements at $7.4 million combined, but did not provide a time frame. SaskPower to add solar Saskatchewan’s Crown power provider has finalized an agreement to build a new 100-megawatt solar field in that province’s southeast region. Lyuhána Solar will build the facility near Estevan, operate it and sell the electricity produced to SaskPower on a 25-year contract, the company announced Monday. It would be the largest solar facility in Saskatchewan, and could be operational by the end of 2026. “This new solar facility will play an important role in our path to net-zero by 2050 or sooner,” said Rupen Pandya, SaskPower President and CEO. Iyuhana Solar is a partnership between Greenwood Sustainable Infrastructure, Saturn Power and Ocean Man First Nation. SaskPower plans to add at least 3,000 MW of wind and solar generation to the system by 2035, including Golden South Wind Facility, near Assiniboia, and the Blue Hill Wind Facility, near Herbert. 15-14
