Canadian Renewables Drive Second-Quarter Power Project Starts

Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Canada is building out its power-generation sector with a variety of resources. Industrial Info is tracking more than US$6.4 billion worth of power-generation projects that are planned to begin construction in Canada before the end of the second quarter, about half of which is attributed to projects with a medium-to-high (70% or more) likelihood of beginning construction as scheduled, according to Industrial Info's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) Project Database.

Click on the image at right for a graph detailing the top 10 companies for power-generation projects set to begin construction in Canada through the end of June, by total investment value.

Alberta often is called the "Texas of Canada," thanks to its abundant supply of oil and natural gas. The fossil fuel-heavy province also has a slate of renewable projects in the works, although pushbacks from the provincial government--including a recently ended seven-month moratorium for renewable-project approvals--have presented new hurdles for the sector. Nonetheless, SaskPower (Regina, Saskatchewan) is pushing forward with an US$80 million battery energy-storage system (BESS) near Iddesleigh, at a planned solar-power facility.

The BESS is expected to use 39 PowerTitan batteries provided by Sungrow (Hefei, China) to hold about 80 megawatts (MW). Subscribers to Industrial Info's GMI Power Project and Plant databases can learn more from a detailed project report and plant profile.

Other solar projects with a strong likelihood of kicking off as planned in Alberta include hep global GmBh's (Baden-Württemberg, Germany) US$128.5 million solar farm in Alderson, about 30 miles south of Iddesleigh. It is expected to generate 100 MW from 207,480 photovoltaic (PV) panels provided by Sungrow. Subscribers can learn more from a detailed project report and plant profile.

Canada's easternmost provinces often have been eager to take advantage of coastal winds for power generation, and Roswall Development Incorporated (Halifax, Nova Scotia) is moving forward with its US$61 million Mersey River Wind project near Liverpool, Nova Scotia. The project is expected to use 20 V150 turbines provided by Vestas Wind Systems A/S (Aarhus, Denmark) to generate 90 MW. Subscribers can learn more from a detailed project report and plant profile.

Hydropower also plays a big role in Atlantic Canada, where Newfoundland & Labrador Hydro Corporation (St. John's, Newfoundland) is preparing for a US$10 million refurbishment at the Bay d'Espoir Hydroelectric Station in Milltown, Newfoundland. The utility plans to upgrade the intake controls and refurbish Penstock No. 1 at the facility, which has an installed capacity of about 613 MW.

Hydropower provides significant baseload generation to eastern Canada, according to the Atlantica Centre for Energy. The Newfoundland & Labrador province boasts abundant hydro resources and sends much of its output to Québec and Nova Scotia; New Brunswick also depends heavily on hydropower. Subscribers can learn more about the Bay d'Espoir refurbishment from a detailed project report and plant profile.

Ontario currently leads Canada in biomass-fired power-generation investments, according to Industrial Info's GMI Project Database, among them the US$43.15 million Armstrong Bio-Energy Centre in Thunder Bay, about 30 miles north of the U.S. border on the western coast of Lake Superior. The project, which is a joint effort between the Whitesand First Nation and the Canadian government, is designed produce 6.5 MW from locally sourced wood waste, which will be used to produce wood pellets and reduce the Whitesand community's dependence on diesel fuel. The same facility's mill is expected to produce 60,000 metric tons per year of fuel pellets. Subscribers can learn more from a detailed project report and plant profile.

Subscribers to Industrial Info's GMI Project and Plant databases can click here for a full list of detailed reports for projects mentioned in this article, and click here for a full list of related plant profiles.

Subscribers can click here for a full list of power-generation projects that are planned to begin construction in Canada before the end of the second quarter.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) platform helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, IIR is tracking more than 200,000 current and future projects worth $17.8 trillion (USD).