Pattern, Henvey go XL in Ontario

Pattern Energy and the Henvey Inlet First Nation have broken ground on a 300MW wind farm on the northeast shore of Georgian Bay in Ontario, Canada.

The milestone follows completion of a C$1bn financing deal for the Henvey Inlet project, which will feature 87 Vestas V136-3.45MW turbines with 132-metre hubs.

The Independent Electricity System Operator will purchase power produced under a 20-year deal. Up to 500 jobs will be supported during construction and the wind farm is due online in 2019.

“This landmark project is a first on many fronts: largest wind projects in Ontario, largest on-reserve wind installation in Canada, highest hub heights in North America, and the first to develop a First Nation environmental stewardship regime under the First Nations Land Management Act,” said Pattern.

“We are not just building a wind farm we are building an economy,” said Henvey subsidiary Nigig Power. Lease royalties for the First Nation group are expected to top C$8m annually.

Image: a Vestas turbine reaching for the skies (Vestas)