IKEA buying massive $90M wind farm project in southern Alberta

TORONTO—Plans are in place for home furnishings firm IKEA to buy a $90-million wind power installation in southern Alberta next year.

The Sweden-based furniture giant announced it has signed a deal to buy a 46-megawatt in Pincher Creek, Alta., about 200 kilometres south of Calgary, from Mainstream Renewable Power.

“This project is a significant investment in Alberta’s renewable energy future and one that is badly needed,” Eddie O’Connor, CEO of Ireland-based Mainstream, said in a statement.

“This wind farm will deliver power to the Alberta grid at the prevailing market price and is a clear demonstration that wind generation is a viable form of electricity production and one that cannot be ignored.”

According to O’Connor’s firm, IKEA will buy the Oldman 2 Wind Farm when construction is complete and it is operational in the fall of 2014.

The purchase price was not disclosed.

With an annual output of 161 gigawatt hours (GWh) of electricity, IKEA said the 20-turbine wind farm will be the largest owned by a Canadian retailer and will produce more than double the electricity consumption of its 12 Canadian stories and Burlington, Ont., head office.

“This wind farm in Alberta, along with existing solar installations at three of our Ontario stores, is a significant step to achieving IKEA’s global ambition to be energy independent by 2020, producing more renewable energy than we consume,” IKEA Canada president Kerri Molinaro said.

The Oldman 2 Wind Farm is the second wind energy site IKEA has agree to buy from Mainstream, with the two companies signing a deal for the Carrickeeny Wind Farm in Ireland in August.

The project will employ 20 Siemens SWT-2.3-101 wind turbines, making it the company’s first foray into the Alberta wind market.

Together they will produce enough energy to power 13,500 average Canadian homes.