Wind turbine energy generators on wind farm - Dreamstime stock image Peter Adams

By Charles Lefebvre

Wind project

BHE Canada provides more information on wind farm project

Oct 16, 2019 | 4:51 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB — Berkshire Hathaway Energy Canada revealed some more information about a planned wind farm project near Medicine Hat.

The $200 million Rattlesnake Ridge Wind Farm was announced on Tuesday. The firm, owned by billionaire investor Warren Buffett, plans to own and manage the wind turbine, with RES Group, a renewable energy company based in the United Kingdom helping develop it.

“We’re just excited that we’ve got this project and this opportunity to invest in Alberta,” said William Christensen, vice president of corporate affairs with BHE Canada. “This project that we have been working on with RES…that all started in 2016. We’ve had a couple of years of trying to work at finding the right way of making ti work for us, and we’ve ended up in a situation where we are happy to make this announcement that we’re able to invest $200 million in the southern part of Alberta.”

The project will be built east of Bow Island, Christensen says, and will be on approximately 13,000 acres. A total of 28 wind turbines will be placed on the site, and the company estimates the project will be capable of generating 475,000 megawatt hours of electricity each year, enough to power 79,000 homes.

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“For us, there are two things that make it work for us,” Christensen says. “One, that area of Alberta is quite windy. The other part is the technology has continued to improve. With the newer technology, not only are the wind turbines getting bigger, they are also becoming more efficient, and with that, we are able to extract more energy from the wind.”

The project will be privately financed by BHE Canada. Christensen says they believe Rattlesnake Ridge will be able to showcase the viability of wind energy in Alberta.

“We think it will help not only just the region, but it helps the whole province, and it’s an indicator of the fact you can develop wind without any subsidies and do it in a way that is cost-effective,” he said. “We’re expecting that the wind, or the wind power, would cost substantially less than what the current power prices are.”

The company is preparing to submit the project to the Alberta Utilities Commission for approval. The goal is to begin construction during the fourth quarter of 2020, and be operational by December 2021.

The company estimates 150 people will be employed at the peak of construction.