Denmark-based private investor Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) has commenced construction of the 495MW Buffalo Plains wind farm in Vulcan County in the Canadian province of Alberta.
The onshore wind farm is being built by CIP’s Copenhagen Infrastructure IV fund. CIP acquired the wind farm in 2022 from ABO Wind, the original developer.
Work on the project commenced in spring 2018. In September of the same year, stakeholder consultation began.
The Alberta Utilities Commission gave approval for the project in the winter of 2022.
This project will be fully operational by the end of 2024 and will be the largest onshore wind farm in the country, generating 1.5GWh of clean energy annually.
The electricity generated will meet the needs of 240,000 Canadian homes annually while avoiding 795,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions every year.
To be built on 17,500 acres of private land, the wind farm will feature 83 Siemens Gamesa turbine variants, the SG6.0-170 and the SG5.0-145, with 6MW and 5.2MW of capacity, respectively.
The 6MW turbines will have a hub height of 110.5m and a rotor diameter of 170m. The 5.2MW turbines will have a hub height of 95.5m and a rotor diameter of 145m.
This wind farm will be connected to the grid by a 12–15km transmission line. The power will be supplied to the Alberta Interconnected Electric System.
During the project's construction, 250 full-time jobs will be created, and 15 permanent jobs will follow once it is operational.
CIP North America head and partner Tim Evans stated: “We are pleased to announce the start of construction on the Buffalo Plains wind project, an important step in expanding our portfolio of best-in-class renewable energy projects in North America.
“This premier project demonstrates CIP’s unique ability to execute on large and complex infrastructure projects that will provide local jobs and clean, renewable wind energy for many years to come.”
Borea Construction, a Canadian company, has been awarded the construction contract.
Online retail giant Amazon has agreed to purchase 415MW of the output from Buffalo Plains.
