To underscore government support for clean energy in the province, the Honorable Darrell Dexter, Premier of Nova Scotia, joined executives from Suzlon and Sprott Power for a blade-signing ceremony yesterday. Forty-five wind turbine blades measuring 47.5 meters (about 150 ft.) each, along with gearboxes and generators, are being transported to the Amherst Wind Farm Project, a $61 million site that began construction in May and is slated for completion in Q1 2012.
"These are exciting times to be involved in the energy business in Nova Scotia," said Nova Scotia PremierDarrell Dexter. "Our province is undertaking nothing short of a transformation in how it generates the electricity Nova Scotians rely on to power their homes, businesses and the economy. I want to thankSprott Power and Suzlon Wind Energy Corporation for choosing to invest in our province, and helping Nova Scotia to achieve its aggressive renewable energy targets."
"It’s an honor to help bring clean energy to the people of Nova Scotia," said Andris Cukurs, CEO of Suzlon Wind Energy Corp. "For Sprott, we’re confident the equipment will deliver on Suzlon’s proven technology platform, as every aspect of the turbine—the blades, the generator and sub-systems—features enhanced design to deliver a higher return on investment for our customers."
The S97 turbines used at Amherst will be installed on 90-meter hub height towers and, at full capacity, will generate enough electricity to power more than 10,000 Canadian homes. The project is owned by SPAmherst Wind Power L.P., a partnership between subsidiaries of Sprott Power Corp. and Firelight Infrastructure Partners L.P.
"The arrival of the Suzlon turbine equipment marks another key milestone towards completion of the Amherst Project," said Jeff Jenner, Chief Executive Officer of Sprott Power. "We look forward to receiving the equipment at the site, and expect that the Project will continue making great progress towards its completion early next year."
Suzlon’s S9X product suite, launched in April, is an evolution of Suzlon’s proven technology platform, and is built around a core doubly fed induction generator-based (DFIG) technology. A compact and modular DFIG design allows ease of serviceability and meets the latest grid requirements for smoother wind power plant connectivity. Blade designs with rotor diameters of 95 and 97 meters offer a larger swept area with greater energy capture and power production from moderate to low wind speeds.
Suzlon Wind Energy Corporation focuses on the North American market and is a subsidiary of Suzlon Energy Limited, India. The headquarters for North America is based in Chicago, Illinois. Sales and service offices are located throughout the U.S.
The Suzlon Group is ranked as the world’s fifth largest* wind turbine supplier, in terms of cumulative installed capacity, at the end of 2010. The company’s global spread extends across Asia, Australia,Europe, Africa and North and South America with over 17,000 MW of wind energy capacity installed in 25 countries, operations across 32 countries, a workforce of over 13,000 and revenues of approximately US$ 4 billion.
The Group offers one of the most comprehensive product portfolios – ranging from sub-megawatt on-shore turbines at 600 Kilowatts (KW), to the world’s largest commercial 6.15 MW offshore turbine – built on a vertically integrated, low-cost, manufacturing base. The Group – headquartered at Suzlon One Earth on Pune, India – comprises Suzlon Energy Limited and its subsidiaries, including REpower Systems AG in which the company holds ~95 per cent share.
