Siemens Canada Awarded 124 Wind Turbine Contract

 GLOBE-Net, March 25, 2013 – Siemens Canada has been awarded a milestone order by Samsung Renewable Energy Inc. and Pattern Energy Group LP for the supply and commissioning of 124 wind turbines for the South Kent wind project.

The 270-MW project, located in the Municipality of Chatham-Kent in Southwestern Ontario, will generate enough energy for up to 100,000 Ontario homes.

The SWT-2.3-101 turbines to be installed for the project have a maximum power rating of up to 2.3 megawatts (MW) each and a rotor diameter of 101 meters at a hub-height of 99.5 metres.

All blades for the project will be manufactured by Siemens at the company’s wind turbine blade facility in Tillsonburg, with production and hiring ramping up to capacity in order to fulfill the agreement. [stextbox id=”custom” float=”true” width=”200″ bcolor=”add3d5″ bgcolor=”add3d5″ image=”null”]The Tillsonburg plant is the first production facility of its kind in Ontario.[/stextbox] “The approval of South Kent is a huge win for wind in Canada and we’re excited to be moving forward with our partners and to ramping up production in Tillsonburg,” said Jacob Andersen, Vice President, Wind Power, Siemens Canada.

Towers for the project will be manufactured at CS Wind’s facility in Windsor using Ontario-made steel. Combined, Siemens and CS Wind are expected to create up to 600 jobs in the Province associated with the South Kent and subsequent projects.

Samsung and Pattern have made major progress in three seperate wind energy projects in Ontario, including the 150MW Grand Renewable Energy Park in Haldimand County, the 270MW K2 Wind project in Ashfield-Colborne-Wawanosh and the 180MW Armow Wind project in Kincardine.

Upon completion, all four projects are expected to generate 870MW of renewable energy for the Ontario Power Authority (OPA).

According to the Canadian Wind Energy Association, Canada is the ninth largest producer of wind energy in the world with current installed capacity at roughly 6,500 MW.

[stextbox id=”custom” float=”true” width=”200″ bcolor=”add3d5″ bgcolor=”add3d5″ image=”null”]Siemens holds a leading position in the Ontario market; and subsequent to the South Kent order, Ontario will join Washington, Texas and Iowa as territories in North America with more than 1,000 MW of Siemens installed capacity. [/stextbox]

Installation of the wind turbines for the South Kent project is scheduled to begin this year, with the start of operations expected for spring 2014. The deal also includes a three-year service agreement.

In order to enhance its proximity to its installed base, including the service of the South Kent project, Siemens has also established its first Canadian wind turbine service and maintenance distribution centre in Chatham, Ontario.

The distribution centre will house commonly used parts that are critical to wind turbine operations and distribute them to wind farms based in Ontario. In addition, the facility will incorporate a training center focused on developing and maintaining the technical skills required for Siemens service technicians.

Chatham was chosen as the location for the centre based on its proximity to Siemens’ customer base at wind farms in the province as well as its local government support of renewable energies and local investment.

“We are growing a broad base for our long term involvement in the renewable energy sector, and that bodes very well for our local economy,” said Randy Hope, Mayor, Chatham-Kent.

Sales for Siemens in Canada in fiscal 2012 (ended September 30), were $2.1 billion CAD. The company has 53 offices and 14 manufacturing/assembly facilities across Canada. Further information is available at www.siemens.ca.

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