08:35 CET - 08 Apr. 2013

Vestas has secured an order for 166 V100-1.8 MW wind turbines for Canada.

With reference to the Vestas Wind System A/S company announcement No. 13 of 8 April 2013, Vestas has secured a firm and unconditional order for the delivery of 166 V100-1.8 MW wind turbines along with a 20-year service and maintenance agreement for the 299 MW Blackspring Ridge Wind Project, a joint venture of EDF EN Canada Inc. and Enbridge. It marks the largest order for Vestas wind turbines in Canada.

Deliveries for Blackspring Ridge, located near Lethbridge, Alberta, are scheduled for the second half of 2013 and commissioning is expected to occur by mid-2014.

“We appreciate these two global energy companies making a long-term commitment to Vestas. Our partnership with EDF EN Canada and Enbridge shows their confidence in our ability to deliver turbines safely and on time,” said Chris Brown, President of Vestas’ sales and service division in Canada and the United States. “This project also will increase our market leadership position in Canada and further builds on our strong service business in Alberta.”

The 20-year service agreement – the longest in Vestas’ history in the U.S. and Canada – features the Active Output Management (AOM) 5000 service option. AOM 5000 features an energy-based availability guarantee to ensure the turbines are operational when the wind is blowing. This service option includes the VestasOnline® surveillance system that remotely controls and monitors the turbines and predicts potential maintenance issues. This allows Vestas to plan maintenance so the turbines are operational for the maximum amount of time.

“Blackspring Ridge is an important addition to Enbridge’s fleet of renewable projects as it significantly expands our wind energy portfolio in the Alberta market, which we first entered nearly a decade ago with our Magrath and Chin Chute wind farms,” said Don Thompson, Vice President, Green Energy, Enbridge Inc. “Alberta is an attractive environment for wind investments due to its high wind capacity factor and access to transmission. We welcome this opportunity to continue expanding our renewable energy assets into Western Canada and are pleased to continue our relationship with EDF EN Canada and Vestas.”

Vestas’ U.S. factories in Colorado will be involved in manufacturing components for Blackspring Ridge, which will become Canada’s sixth wind power plant to use V100-1.8 MW turbines. Overall, more than 600 V100-1.8 MW turbines are producing energy at 13 sites across Canada and the United States.   EDF EN Canada and Enbridge will develop and own Blackspring Ridge. Once commissioned, it will be the largest wind power plant in Western Canada with the capacity to provide electricity to nearly 140,000 households.

“EDF EN Canada looks forward to our first opportunity to install Vestas turbines in Canada as part of the Blackspring Ridge project,” said Al Kurzenhauser, COO for EDF EN Canada.  “Alberta is a promising market that allows us to expand our wind development success into Western Canada. The project further builds on our relationship with both Vestas and Enbridge, demonstrating our business model to optimize assets throughout North America.”

Vestas installed its first wind turbines in the Canadian market in 1997 and since has become the leading wind-turbine supplier in the country and in Alberta.

Canada Market Share (MW)*  1. Vestas 2,311 (36%) 2. GE 1,836 (28%) 3. Siemens 996 (15%) 4. Enercon 855 (13%)   Alberta Market Share (MW)* 1. Vestas 610 (54%) 2. GE 325 (34%) 3. Enercon 158 (9%) 4. Nordex 26 (2.6%)

* Source: CanWEA

About Vestas

With over 55 GW of installed capacity worldwide, Vestas is the global leader in wind energy, supplying more than 49,000 wind turbines in 73 countries since 1979. There are now more than 2.3 GW of installed Vestas turbines in every Canadian province – enough to power about 600,000 homes. Vestas will supply wind turbines this year to six projects in Canada for more than 400 MW of new electrical generation capacity. To learn more, visit www.vestas.com.

About EDF EN Canada Inc.

EDF EN Canada, an EDF Energies Nouvelles Company, is a market leader in renewable energy development, with an integrated approach that covers every aspect of project origination and implementation through to electricity generation, operations and maintenance. The company offers financial strength, technical innovation and an unmatched commitment to customer service. EDF EN Canada draws on the market leadership of EDF Renewable Energy, formerly enXco, EDF EN’s American affiliate. EDF Energies Nouvelles is a subsidiary of the EDF group. To learn more, visit www.edf-energies-nouvelles.com  or www.edf-en.ca.

About Enbridge

Enbridge Inc. is a North American leader in delivering energy and one of the “Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations”. As a transporter of energy, Enbridge operates, in Canada and the U.S., the world's longest crude oil and liquids transportation system. The company also has a significant and growing involvement in natural gas gathering, transmission and midstream businesses, and an increasing involvement in power transmission. As a distributor of energy, Enbridge owns and operates Canada's largest natural gas distribution company, and provides distribution services in Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and New York State. As a generator of energy, Enbridge has interests in close to 1,000 megawatts of renewable and alternative energy generating capacity and is expanding its interests in wind and solar energy, geothermal and hybrid fuel cells. Enbridge employs 10,000 people, primarily in Canada and the U.S. and is ranked as one of Canada's Greenest Employers, and one of the Top 100 companies to work for in Canada. Enbridge's common shares trade on the Toronto and New York stock exchanges under the symbol ENB. For more information, visit www.enbridge.com.

Media contact

Andrew Longeteig, Vestas, North America          Tel.: +1 503 327 7479 Email: anlon@vestas.com  

Vestas receives its largest turbine order in Canada for 299 MW project