A new wind turbine near Brocket launched last week will provide enough electricity to meet the needs of 450 homes every year.
The 72-metre tall “Weather Dancer 1” wind power project on the Peigan First Nation is a joint venture between the Peigan Indian Utility Corporation and Edmonton-based EPCOR Power Development Corporation.
“Weather Dancer 1 ties the traditional elements of our culture with the goal of developing new opportunities for the Peigan people,” said Peter Strikes with a Gun, chief of the Peigan First Nation. “Our success with Weather Dancer 1 is allowing us to look ahead to a larger wind-power project, and a future where it may be possible for us to meet the energy needs of our own community.”
The turbine has a generation capacity of 900 kilowatts, and is expected to generate about 2,960 megawatt hours of electricity each year.
EPCOR CEO Don Lowry said the project is part of the company’s commitment to developing more low environmental impact generation in Alberta. “We believe there’s a very bright outlook for wind power in Alberta,” he said.
“Weather Dancer” refers to a ceremony which renews the relationship with the natural world.
Meanwhile, rival ENMAX has announced it will purchase 35,000 megawatt hours of electricity annually from wind plants in Cowley Ridge North and Sinnott operated by Canadian Hydro Developers Inc.
The five-year deal represents about half the output from Canadian Hydro’s new 20-turbine (26 megawatt) facility near Pincher Creek in southern Alberta.
ENMAX says more than 100,000 megawatt-hours of wind-generated electricity is now being produced for Albertans and distributed through Alberta’s Power Pool.
“As ENMAX heads into changing times, one of the things that remains constant is our commitment to Albertans to provide them with innovative products and services such as Greenmax – the first program in Canada to offer customers the opportunity to support wind power,” said Sean Durfy, ENMAX Energy vice-president and chief operating officer.
