Boralex has commissioned the almost 14MW extension to the Plaine d’Escrebieux wind farm in France.
The 13.8MW project is located in the Pas-de-Calais region of Hauts-de-France in the communes of Courcelles-les-Lens, Esquerchin and Fiers-en-Escrebieux.
It will supply about 9000 French households each year.
The extension includes four Vestas V117 turbines in addition to the four that have been in service since 2014 belonging to another unnamed producer.
Development of the extension started in 2015 by Ecotera Developpement before it was acquired by Boralex, which built and continue to operate the extension.
Boralex Europe general manager Nicolas Wolff said: “The project and its extension are driven by Boralex’s commitment to reduce the footprint of our activities on natural ecosystems and biodiversity by leveraging all possible measures.
“This commitment covers a given project’s entire life cycle, including development, construction, operation and decommissioning.
“Boralex and its teams work to help preserve local wildlife and their habitats throughout these cycles.”
Boralex said biodiversity and species protection measures include the creation of an orchard, in collaboration with the Esquerchin commune, to create a biodiverse area accessible to riverside residents.
It added that activities were also conducted with farmers to raise awareness on protecting hawk nests in the area.