Candian Hydro, AWEA, REpower Systems and E.ON all take great strikes towards a successful 2010

Canadian Hydro acquires 4,400 MW offshore wind prospect
Canadian Hydro Developers has signed an agreement to acquire the rights to a 4,400 MW offshore wind prospect in Ontario from Park City, Utah-based wind project developer Wasatch Wind. The location is approximately five to 30 kilometres offshore in one of the Great Lakes bordering Ontario. It is eligible for the Ontario Green Energy Act’s feed-in-tariff 20-year contract at a price of $190 per MWh, subject to 100% of Ontario consumer price index inflation from contract signing to commercial operations and 20% of Ontario CPI annually thereafter. Canadian Hydro, which already owns and operates the two largest wind facilities in Canada, says when completed, this facility would be the largest offshore operation in the world. It anticipates that the offshore wind prospect will be built in stages, with the first 400 to 500 MW to come online by the fourth quarter of 2014.

A call for policy certainty in the US
The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) has highlighted that of all the world’s large strategic markets, the US is the only one without a firm, long-term renewable energy commitment in place. Referring to the likes of Europe, the Association mentioned that policy certainty goes a long way in creating investor confidence. Industry decisions about where to invest and build up a manufacturing base are made on this basis. It added that for the US, strong renewable electricity standards are the policy of choice, and these standards can provide the firm commitment needed to draw both project development and manufacturing.

First turbine for alpha ventus installed
REpower Systems has installed the first of a total of six REpower 5M turbines for the alpha ventus offshore test field. The wind farm is located approximately 45 kilometers north of the island of Borkum. The REpower 5M turbines, with a blade tip height of 155 metres above sea level, have been specially developed for offshore installation. With optimum wind conditions, each of the six turbines is slated to supply the electricity grid with around 18 million kilowatt hours (kWh) of power per year. alpha ventus has been connected to the German power grid at Hagermarsch by a 66 km-long cable operated by transpower, formerly E.ON Netz, since May.

International Power to buy AIM PowerGen
London-based power generation company International Power has chosen to acquire AIM PowerGen, the Canadian unit of British wind-farm operator Renewable Energy Generation. The deal is for an enterprise value of £109 million, with a total cash consideration of £69 million. The company said it expects the acquisition to be immediately free-cash-flow positive. International Power said it will fund the purchase from its own cash resources and expects to complete the deal by the end of this year. The AIM portfolio is concentrated in Ontario, with wind farms producing 40 megawatts of power currently in operation and another 40 megawatts under construction and scheduled for completion by the first half of 2010. AIM also has an advanced development pipeline of 1,200 megawatts in Ontario and across Canada.

E.ON achieves a milestone
E.ON has opened what it describes as the world's largest wind farm, located in Roscoe, Texas. In all, 627 wind turbines with an installed capacity of around 780 MW are now operating. The wind farm, which covers an area of around 400 km², had a construction period of just over two years. The company says it has increased its wind park capacities worldwide to 2,600 MW, with 1,500 MW in the US, in a two-year span.

AMSC signs $100m contract
Beijing-based wind turbine manufacturer Sinovel Wind has signed a contract worth more than $100 million with American Superconductor (AMSC). The Chinese company has signed this contract for core electrical components to be utilised in Sinovel’s 3 MW wind turbines, SL3000. AMSC expects to begin shipping sets of core components under the new contract in March next year and to complete all shipments by the end of calendar year 2011.

US can benefit from adoption of wind power technologies
Duke University’s Centre for Globalisation, Governance & Competitiveness (CGGC) has emphasised that increased adoption of wind power technologies could have significant positive economic implications for the US. According to a report released by University’s researchers, this is possible as the US companies have a presence in each sector of the value chain.