Developing Wind Farms in Atlantic Canada
Identifying and selecting our sites
As 'East-Coasters', we know that many local lands offer an abundant, clean and renewable supply of energy from our windy weather. We have identified select locations within Atlantic Canada which we are developing. We continue to search for additional sites that meet our criteria and compliment our existing portfolio.
In addition to the obvious need for good wind, any location must also have all of the attributes necessary to allow economical construction and operation of the wind farm and efficient delivery of its electricity to our customer. Beyond the basics, we have the experience to appreciate the local and operational nuances that are critical when making site selections.
A mutually rewarding relationship with our land owners is a fundamental objective in our business. Whether we purchase land or lease from a local land owner, we put a great deal of effort into finding and constructing the appropriate arrangement that makes sense for the particular site. We welcome enquiries from interested land owners.
Testing the wind and assessing our impact on the environment
All characteristics of the wind resource at each of our sites are thoroughly explored over many months to determine its energy production capability. When considering the energy yield from our sites, we are able to draw on our years of local development and operational experience and our keen knowledge of the Atlantic Canadian meteorological environment to get the job done.
We also understand that a good development site is more than just a windy parcel of land. Our thorough environmental assessment work ensures that we identify issues that may modify or even terminate our development plans in the early stages of our consideration. The result allows us to construct wind farms that are economically viable and very respectful of the existing environment.
Community and stakeholder engagement
A well-informed community is a better community. Our approach to wind farm development includes working with communities and offering information and regular updates regarding the status of our development plans.
Open and straightforward dialogue starts with our land owners. When our development plans evolve, we invite and welcome regular discussions with the appropriate community leaders and residents.
Technical and construction planning
We insist that our wind farms are well designed, well built, within budget and operated in a responsible and efficient manner. This starts at the early planning stages. Our team is experienced in the development and construction of Atlantic Canadian facilities from start to finish. We also draw heavily on the depth of experience that our locally based engineers and other advisors offer. Our design methodology involves a multidisciplinary approach with a view to maximizing the life-cycle benefits of the plant.
Financing, construction and ownership
Offering competitively priced electricity is an important element of our corporate success. We thoroughly understand the impact that capital structure has on the cost of our output. Accordingly, we maintain a variety of key relationships with our preferred capital providers. These professionals understand and appreciate our business and enable us to complete our projects when our development work is done.
In addition to years of international experience, our corporate principals have a wealth of local experience related to construction and operation of the region's largest wind farm. Our team will own and operate an increasing number of wind farms or single installations in Atlantic Canada as this electricity sector grows.