Three renewable energy companies picked to power Alberta grid

The province has chosen three companies as part of a new initiative to provide the electrical grid with power by harnessing Alberta’s strong winds.

The companies, EDP Renewables Canada Ltd., Enel Green Power Canada Inc. and the Capital Power Corporation are among the first to bid under the government’s Renewable Electricity Program and will add 600 megawatts of power to the electrical grid.

That’s enough to power more than 250,000 homes.

The electricity will be generated through four wind farms near Medicine Hat, Oyen and Pincher Creek.

Premier Rachel Notley says the program is attracting valuable investment from all over the world.

“The winning companies will invest a billion dollars in our province. That’s a billion dollars in new private investment. Those investments will create 700 new construction jobs and pay over a million dollars in royalty payments to rural landowners every year.”

The province says the goal of the Renewable Electricity Program is to produce 5,000 megawatts of renewable electricity in Alberta by 2030.

For more information on the Renewable Electricity Program, visit AESO’s website.