IKEA Canada announced today that they have purchased a 46 megawatt (MW) wind farm in Pincher Creek, Alberta.
The 20-turbine wind farm will be the largest owned by a Canadian retailer and is expected to generate 161 gigawatt hours (GWh) each year, which is more than double the total energy consumption of IKEA Canada. The project is currently being constructed by global wind and solar company Mainstream Renewable Power and is expected to be fully operational in the autumn of 2014.
“IKEA Canada’s investment in renewable energy is a win-win-win. We are able to support the transition to a low-carbon future, reduce our energy and operating costs, and pass those benefits on to our customers by continuing to offer high quality home furnishings at low prices,” says Kerri Molinaro, President of IKEA Canada. “This wind farm in Alberta, along with existing solar installations at three of our Ontario stores, is a significant step to achieving IKEA’s global ambition to be energy independent by 2020, producing more renewable energy than we consume.”
The wind farm’s expected annual production of 161 GWh is equivalent to:
32 IKEA stores’ electricity consumption
60 per cent of IKEA Group electricity consumption in North America
Eight per cent of IKEA Group electricity consumption worldwide
13,500 average Canadian households’ electricity consumption
“The development of renewable energy has been and will continue to be important to a sustainable future for Alberta,” said the Honourable Ken Hughes, Minister of Energy, Alberta. “IKEA Canada is demonstrating a long-term commitment to both the province and our energy footprint with the development of this important project.”
The 20 turbines to be erected are Siemens’ model SWT-2.3-101, 2.3 MW turbines with a rotor diameter of 101 metres, a hub height of 80 metres and blade length of 49 metres. While the wind farm will be owned fully by IKEA Canada it has been developed, is being constructed, and will be operated by Mainstream Renewable Power. The turbines will be located in the municipality of Pincher Creek, approximately 215 KMs south of Calgary. The power generated will be delivered onto Alberta’s energy grid, thereby increasing the availability of renewable energy to a growing energy market.
Mainstream Renewable Power’s Chief Executive Eddie O’Connor said, “Mainstream Renewable Power is pleased to be building on our existing global relationship with IKEA. Partnering with corporations who are committed to a sustainable future is a very exciting and growing part of Mainstream’s global business. This project is a significant investment in Alberta’s renewable energy future.”
The IKEA Group has now committed to own 157 wind turbines worldwide and has installed over 500,000 solar panels on its buildings in nine countries. To date, the company has invested in wind farms in seven other IKEA markets: Sweden, Denmark, Germany, France, Poland, the United Kingdom, and Ireland.
The IKEA vision is to create a better everyday life for the many people. Our business idea supports this vision by offering a wide range of well-designed, functional home furnishing products at prices so low that as many people as possible will be able to afford them. There are currently 298 IKEA Group stores in 26 countries. IKEA was founded in Sweden in 1943. The IKEA Group employs 139 000 co-workers and had 690 million visitors during FY12. For more information, please visit www.IKEA.com
Mainstream Renewable Power is one of the world’s leading independent developers of renewable energy projects. With a development pipeline of over 19GW globally it is currently constructing solar and wind farms across Ireland, South Africa, Chile and Canada. As Europe’s leading independent offshore wind developer Mainstream is developing just under 8GW of offshore wind projects in England, Scotland and Germany with 4.45GW of secured grid connection for these offshore projects. It employs more than 160 experienced staff across four continents with offices in Berlin, Cape Town, Chicago, Dublin, Glasgow, Johannesburg, London, Santiago and Toronto.
For more than 100 years the innovative ideas from Siemens have helped make Canada a better place. From the Atlantic to Pacific oceans, more than 4,500 employees in Canada work together to provide answers that last in the fields of industry, energy, healthcare and infrastructure solutions for cities. Since it was federally chartered in 1912, Siemens has stood for technical achievements, innovation, quality and reliability. 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.
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