Vestas scores big turbine win in Canada with Invenergy
Danish group consolidates its high-end market segment lead in North America with supply deal for 6.2MW units
Vestas has received an order for 56 Enventus V162-6.2MW turbines for a 347MW project in Quebec, Canada, where the province aims to more than triple system wind capacity by 2035.
Chicago-based Invenergy is partnering with Alliance de l’Energie de l’Est on the Pohenegamook-Picard-Saint-Antonin-Wolastokuk (PPAW) facility in Bas-Saint-Laurent region on the southern shore of the St. Lawrence River.
The order includes supply, delivery, and commissioning of the turbines, as well as a multi-year service agreement.
Vestas has been contacted with a request for comment on sourcing for the turbines’ blades, nacelles, and towers.
The V162-6.2MW is the highest rated capacity onshore turbine in North America along with GE Vernova’s 6.1-158 model manufactured in Schenectady, New York.
Vestas is the leader in the 5-6MW segment of the market which has shown strong growth in the last several years.
“This is a significant deal for Canada, and we’re thrilled to partner with Invenergy as they continue to expand their North American wind energy portfolio,” said Laura Beane, president of Vestas North America.
Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ), the second largest pension fund in Canada, is majority owner of Invenergy Renewables, among the largest clean energy developers in North America not controlled by a European or US utility group.
PPAW will be among the three largest wind farms in Quebec. The combined project trails Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners’ 466MW Buffalo Plains project in Alberta as the country’s biggest, set to enter commercial operation in the fourth quarter.
In March 2023, Hydro-Quebec selected PPAW along with several other wind projects after a request for proposals. The public utility manages generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity in the province, as well as export of power to the northeastern US.
Last November, Hydro-Quebec issued an Action Plan that calls for up to C$185bn ($135.7bn) investment through 2035 to add clean generating capacity and bolster system reliability.
It forecasts that electricity demand in the province forecast will double by then, while the planned expansion will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and lessen dependence on hydro.
Abnormally low rainfall and snow melt in parts of Quebec have forced hydro dams to reduce electricity output for local use and available for export to the US.
The plan’s wind component calls for the utility to integrate more than 8GW of capacity into the grid by 2030 and 2GW more by 2035. There are now about 4GW of wind on its system, although no projects came online in Quebec last year.
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