New Wind Farm Means Good Jobs, Progress on Renewable Energy

The first of 15 wind turbines left Halifax today, Sept. 27, for installation at a new $61-million wind farm in Amherst, a project that is creating good jobs in rural Nova Scotia and helping establish the province as a world leader in renewable energy.

Premier Darrell Dexter joined representatives from Suzlon Wind Energy Corp. and Sprott Power Corp. for the send off at the Port of Halifax, where 36 of the 48.5-metre turbine blades arrived last week.

Suzlon, the world's fifth largest supplier of wind turbine parts, has hired DSTN in Trenton to manufacture the steel towers for the wind turbines, which means more good jobs and a boost to the local economy.

"These are exciting times to be involved in the energy business in Nova Scotia," said Premier Dexter. "This project is helping the province achieve its aggressive renewable energy targets, as well as the goals laid out in jobsHere, our strategic plan to grow the economy.

"Our province is undertaking nothing short of a transformation in how it generates the electricity Nova Scotians rely on to power their homes, businesses and the economy. I want to thank Suzlon Wind Energy Corp. and Sprott Power Corp. for choosing to invest in our province and its people."

The Amherst wind farm marks the first time that the new Suzlon model S97 turbines will be installed anywhere in North America. The arrival of the parts shows further progress toward achieving Nova Scotia's renewable energy targets.

"Over the past six years, the price of coal has risen 75 per cent," said Premier Dexter. "The government has established aggressive targets to help reduce the province's dependence on fossil fuels, a move that will make life more affordable for families by ensuring lower, more stable power rates in the long term."

The Renewable Electricity Plan states that by 2015, 25 per cent of the province's electricity must come from clean, renewable sources of energy. That target increases to 40 per cent by 2020.

"It's an honour to help bring clean energy to the people of Nova Scotia," said Andris Cukurs, CEO of Suzlon Wind Energy Corp. "For Sprott, we're confident the equipment will deliver on Suzlon's proven technology platform, as every aspect of the turbine, the blades, the generator and sub-systems, features enhanced design to deliver a higher return on investment for our customers."

The new wind farm will have a generating capacity of 31.5 megawatts, enough electricity to power 10,000 homes.

"The arrival of the Suzlon turbine equipment marks another key milestone towards completion of the Amherst Project," said Jeff Jenner, chief executive officer of Sprott Power. "We look forward to receiving the equipment at the site, and expect that the project will continue making great progress towards its completion early next year."

To show the province's support for the project, Premier Dexter joined representatives of Suzlon and Sprott in signing one of the massive wind turbine blades.