Boralex Inc. and Gaz Métro Limited Partnership (the "Consortium") are pleased to have been awarded two wind power projects with a total installed capacity of 272 MW in the Hydro-Québec call for tenders.
The two wind farms, located on the private lands of the Séminaire de Québec, will be commissioned by the end of 2013. The Seigneurie de Beaupré site, which will host the Consortium's projects, offers distinctive advantages. It offers exceptional wind resources due to the quality of the winds. Since the sites are located 60 km northeast of Quebec City and 15 km north of Saint-Tite-des-Caps, the visual and noise impacts of the two wind farms will be virtually non-existent for the neighboring communities. Finally, the logging activities that have been taking place on the site for several years will contribute to integrating the projects in a way that respects the environment and the flora and fauna, since the access roads to the sites are already built.
The Consortium has teamed up with Enercon, a leading manufacturer with world-renowned expertise, which intends to set up a high-quality wind turbine component manufacturing plant in Québec. Boralex already benefits from Enercon's expertise by operating more than half of its wind power facilities with this technology and this choice has proven to be a success. The sale of electricity to Hydro-Québec, a company with a solid financial base, will ensure the reliability of revenues from these projects.
"This breakthrough in wind power in Québec is a great day for Boralex and its partners. The Seigneurie de Beaupré wind farms are the result of a close collaboration with the Séminaire de Québec. Without their openness and contribution, we would never have been able to propose projects of such quality," said Patrick Lemaire, President and Chief Executive Officer of Boralex.
"Boralex and Gaz Métro, two Québec companies, are proud to combine their expertise in the realization of large-scale energy projects to develop renewable energy production in Québec. This is a unique and promising alliance for the future," added Sophie Brochu, President and Chief Executive Officer of Gaz Métro.
As the Consortium has already completed and filed its environmental impact assessment with the Ministère du Développement durable, de l'Environnement et des Parcs, it should be made public shortly. An Internet site (www.seigneuriedebeaupre.com) will soon be launched to provide all relevant information about the Seigneurie de Beaupré wind farms.