The recent completion of Enmax Corporation's C$140 million Taber Wind Farm in southern Alberta has put the company's sole shareholder, the City of Calgary, ahead of its municipal counterparts in green power use. The city is buying the full output of Taber's 37 Enercon 2.2 MW turbines under a 20 year power purchase agreement with Enmax, which is a competitive retailer in Alberta's deregulated power market and also runs Calgary's distribution system.
With the wind purchase, Calgary becomes the only major city in Canada to draw at least three quarters of its electricity entirely from green power. "We are resolute in our commitment to reduce Calgary's ecological footprint," says Calgary Mayor Dave Bronconnier. "Assuring a long term energy supply from a renewable source like Taber makes good economic sense for Calgarians and good environmental sense for Canadians."
Taber, at 81.4 MW, is the largest wind project in Alberta and its completion increased the province's installed capacity to a country-leading 524 MW. Canada's current installed wind capacity is 1669 MW.
