$61M wind project underway in Nova Scotia

AMHERST, N.S.—Toronto-based renewable energy developer Sprott Power Corp. is building a 31.5MW wind farm in Amherst, N.S.

The $61-million project is expected to produce enough energy to power more than 11,000 homes.

Sprott Power acquired the project in March 2011. It has a 25-year power purchase agreement with Nova Scotia Power Inc. (“NSPI”).

The company is working with Firelight Infrastructure Partners L.P., another Toronto-based company that invests in North American renewable energy developments.

The wind farm will use 15 turbines from Suzlon Wind Energy Corp., a North American turbine supplier and subsidiary of India-based Suzlon Energy.

Suzlon will supply operation and maintenance services for its S9X-2.1 MW turbines, which will be used in Canada for the first time.

Construction on the project starts next week. It’s expected to be fully operational by the first quarter of next year.

Jeff Jenner, President and CEO of Sprott Power, says the project will create about 35 local jobs during the construction phase with several permanent servicing and spin-off positions in the Amherst community.

In addition to those jobs, the steel towers to support the turbines are being manufactured at a new $20-million plant in nearby Trenton, N.S.

The province and Korean shipbuilder Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering Co. Ltd. recently converted an old railcar-manufacturing site about an hour outside of Halifax to manufacture towers and blades for the wind industry.

The facility, which spans about 100 acres, became operational last month.