Canadian developer Capital Power Corporation is to construct the third phase of the 353MW Whitla wind farm, in south eastern Alberta.
Capital Power initiated the permitting process for the 54MW Whitla Wind 3 with the Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO) and said it expects to file its Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC) application this summer.
Whitla Wind 3, in County of Forty Mile, will be constructed concurrently with the 97MW Whitla Wind 2 project.
Both projects will begin construction in the first half of next year and will completed by the end of 2021.
The 202MW phase one of the Whitla Wind facility began commercial operations in December 2019.
It was one of four wind projects awarded a 20-year contract by AESO in the first round of the province’s Renewable Electricity Program.
Whitla Wind 3 will consist of 15 Vestas V-136 3.6MW wind turbines, the same turbine model in operation at Whitla Wind 1.
Whitla Wind 2 will also use V-136 3.6MW turbines.
Capital Power chief executive and president Brian Vassjo said: “Once all three phases of the Whitla Wind facility are completed by the end of 2021, it will be Alberta’s largest wind facility with 353MW megawatts of generation capacity.”
Whitla Wind 3 will generate carbon credits that can be used to hedge against Capital Power’s carbon compliance costs from its Alberta thermal generation facilities.
Capital Power said it is discussions with commercial and industrial customers for renewable offtake contracts for Whitla Wind 2 and will now include Whitla Wind 3.