Sharp Hills Wind Farm’s 297 megawatts of installed capacity will aid in investments throughout local communities in Alberta
Alberta, Canada, Jan. 22, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- EDP Renewables North America (EDPR NA), a leading renewable energy developer and a top five renewable energy operator in the United States, alongside EDP Renewables Canada Ltd. (EDPR Canada), celebrates Sharp Hills Wind Farm becoming operational near the hamlets of Sedalia and New Bridgen in Alberta, Canada. The energy offtaker for the project is Calgary-based TC Energy, one of North America's leading energy infrastructure companies with operations in natural gas, oil, and power industries.
The launch of the project follows an agreement made by EDPR NA when it joined Invest Alberta Corporation (IAC) in signing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) committing both parties’ collaboration in spurring economic growth and high-quality job creation within the renewable energy sector in Alberta.
Sharp Hills Wind Farm represents an estimated capital investment of over $600M CAD and contributes to the local economy through job creation and funding to the community. During construction, the project created more than 400 full-time equivalent jobs and currently employs 7 permanent positions to operate and maintain the project. Sharp Hills has contributed millions of dollars of spending within 50 kilometres of the project, supporting local businesses such as restaurants, gas stations, hotels, shops, and service providers. In addition, the wind farm will disperse millions to landowners through land lease payments and pay millions more to the Special Areas Board (SAB) and communities in the heart of eastern Alberta’s grasslands, enhancing funding for schools, emergency services, and infrastructure.
“Less than one year after Invest Alberta and EDP Renewables signed an agreement to spur economic growth and create high-quality jobs within the renewable energy sector in Alberta, we are celebrating the successful launch of the Sharp Hills Wind Farm. This $600 million project is a big win for Alberta’s economy, having created more than 400 new jobs that bring economic vitality to rural Alberta and diversification to Alberta’s energy industry,” stated Rick Christiaanse, Invest Alberta CEO.
The Sharp Hills Wind Project continues a long and rich legacy of energy production in the Special Areas of Alberta. Through the development of wind energy in the Special Areas, the project aims to elevate Alberta’s status as a renewable energy leader in Canada as well as to diversify the energy resources in the province, through investment in its power infrastructure and empowerment of its energy security.
“I’m extremely proud of this milestone, as it marks the largest single-phase wind farm developed by EDP Renewables to date in North America,” stated Sandhya Ganapathy, CEO of EDPR NA. “Starting in 2015, we committed to our stakeholders to make this project operational, believing in its ability to spur the Special Areas’ local economy, provide workforce development, and build grid resiliency through Albertan home-grown energy.”
Sharp Hills Wind Farm is EDPR Canada’s third renewable energy site in Canada, with 427 MW of operating capacity in the country. In addition to Sharp Hills, the company also operates the 100 MW Nation Rise Wind Farm and the 30 MW South Branch Wind Farm, both located south of Ottawa. EDPR NA’s Canadian operations have created 37 permanent jobs and more than 900 construction jobs for the communities in which EDPR NA’s renewable energy projects operate.
EDP Renewables North America LLC (EDPR NA), its affiliates, and its subsidiaries develop, construct, own, and operate wind farms, solar parks, and energy storage systems throughout North America. Headquartered in Houston, Texas, with 60 wind farms, 12 solar parks, and eight regional offices across North America, EDPR NA has developed more than 9,600 megawatts (MW) and operates more than 8,900 MW of onshore utility-scale renewable energy projects. With more than 1,000 employees, EDPR NA’s highly qualified team has a proven capacity to execute projects across the continent.
EDP Renewables (Euronext: EDPR) is a global leader in renewable energy development with a presence in 28 regions in Europe, North America, South America and Asia-Pacific. With headquarters in Madrid and leading regional offices in Houston, S?o Paulo and Singapore, EDPR has a sound development portfolio of top-level assets and market-leading operating capacity in renewable energies. Particularly worthy of note are onshore wind, distributed and large-scale solar, offshore wind (OW - through a 50/50 joint venture), and technologies to complement renewables such as storage and green hydrogen.
EDPR's employee-centered policies have received recognition such as Top Workplace 2023 in the USA, Top Employer 2023 in Europe (Spain, Italy, France, Romania, Greece, Portugal and Poland) Colombia and Brazil, and are also included in the Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index.
EDPR is a division of EDP (Euronext: EDP), a leader in the energy transition with a focus on decarbonization. Besides its strong presence in renewables (with EDPR and hydro operations), EDP has an integrated utility presence in Portugal, Spain and Brazil including electricity networks, client solutions and energy management.
EDP – EDPR’s main shareholder – has been listed on the Dow Jones Index for 16 consecutive years, recently being named the most sustainable electricity company on the Index.
CONTACT: Tom Weirich EDP Renewables North America (EDPR NA) & EDPRCanada Ltd. (EDPR Canada) [email protected]
