MONTREAL--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 4, 2004--GE Energy has been selected to supply up to 660 wind turbines, totaling 990 megawatts of wind-generated electricity, for eight projects in Quebec to be placed on line between years 2006 and 2012.
An announcement by Hydro-Quebec today marked the largest single award for new wind generation capacity in the history of the global wind energy industry.
The solicitation, initiated by Hydro-Quebec under a 2003 request for proposals to supply 1,000 megawatts of new wind power capacity by 2012, supports Quebec's 2003 government Decrees 352 and 353, which call for that amount of additional wind capacity.
As a result of the proposal award, GE Energy will supply 740 megawatts of wind turbines to Cartier Wind Energy and 250 megawatts of wind turbines to Northland Power Inc./Northland Power Income Fund, both named as winning bidders.
Cartier is a consortium of Innergex, TransCanada Energy and Renewable Energy Systems USA (RES), while Northland Power is a leading Canadian developer of independent power projects.
Over the course of six years, GE's wind turbines will be installed at several locations, including Baie-des-Sables, St-Ulric/St-Leandre, Les Mechins, Mont Louis, Ste-Madeleine-de-la-Riviere-Madeleine, Cloridorme, Gaspe and Carleton. The power generated will be provided to Hydro-Quebec Distribution, the utility's retail division, for distribution throughout Quebec.
Hydro-Quebec is an international leader in power generation, transmission and distribution. We are pleased and proud to support these milestone projects, said Steve Zwolinski, CEO of GE Energy's wind segment. Hydro-Quebec's solicitation underscores its forethought and leadership in supporting Quebec's energy initiatives, and expedites the delivery of new renewable capacity to the people of Quebec.
Currently, Canada's installed wind energy capacity totals 372 megawatts, including 113.25 megawatts in Quebec. Forecasts by the Canadian Wind Energy Association (CANWEA) anticipate the installation of 10,000 megawatts of wind power across the country by 2010. According to CANWEA, projects such as the Hydro-Quebec effort are evidence of wind energy's growing momentum.
To support the projects, GE will set up facilities to enable up to 60% of the wind energy components, materials and services to be supplied, manufactured and assembled locally. The units will feature GE's low voltage ride-through technology and the capability to operate in extremely cold weather. Wind turbine installation will begin in 2006 and extend into 2012.
In addition to supplying wind turbines, GE will provide operation and maintenance services under multi-year contracts that are currently being negotiated.
The first projects, which will be completed in 2006, will utilize GE's 1.5-megawatt wind turbines, the mostly widely sold wind turbines in the megawatt class. Recently, GE announced that its 2,500th 1.5-megawatt wind turbine was installed as part of a wind project in
Italy.
The wind projects will further expand GE's presence in Canada. Currently, GE employs more than 9,500 people in Canada, including 3,000 in Quebec, and has been operating its businesses within Canada for more than 112 years
About GE Energy
GE Energy (www.gepower.com) is one of the world's leading suppliers of power generation and energy delivery technology, with 2003 revenues of nearly $18.5 billion. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, GE Energy provides equipment, service and management solutions across the power generation, oil and gas, transmission and distribution, distributed power and energy rental industries.
With wind turbine design, manufacturing and/or assembly facilities in Germany, Spain, India and the United States, GE Energy's current wind energy portfolio includes wind turbines with rated outputs ranging from 1,500 to 3,600 kilowatts, and support services ranging from project development assistance to operation and maintenance. The company has developed and/or installed more than 6,700 wind turbines with a total capacity exceeding 5,000 megawatts.
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