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Alberta renewables auction nets 600 MW of new projects

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Alberta renewables auction nets 600 MW of new projects

The government of Alberta said it has awarded contracts for about 600 MW of renewable energy capacity in an auction that will bring about C$1 billion in investment to the province.

The three successful bidders agreed to sell power into the provincial grid at a weighted average price of 3.7 Canadian cents per kWh, a cost the province says is a record low for renewable energy in Canada. The government approved about 200 MW more of projects than it planned when it started the auction process.

The winning bids were for a 201-MW wind farm proposed by Capital Power Corp. called the Whitla Wind Project, which will be built in the southeast corner of the province. EDP Renewables Canada Ltd. will build the 248-MW Sharp Hills Wind Farm (Oyen) in eastern Alberta, while Enel Green Power North America was successful in its bid to build the 115-MW Riverview Wind Farm and the 31-MW phase two of the Castle Rock Ridge Wind Farm, both of which are in the southwest part of the province.

"I'm pleased to see our plan is working to make life better and more affordable," Alberta Premier Rachel Notley said in a Dec. 13 statement. "This highly competitive program is attracting investment from Alberta and around the world, creating new jobs in our province while getting Albertans the most renewable power generation for the lowest cost."

Alberta plans to shutter the large coal-fired generators that provide the bulk of its baseload generation by 2030. A provincial levy on greenhouse gas emissions has prompted some coal-plant operators, including TransAlta Corp. and ATCO Ltd., to convert some generators to natural gas fueling ahead of the deadline. Alberta plans to get 30% of its power, or about 5,000 MW, from renewables by 2030.

The province, which is in the process of switching from a deregulated generation market to a capacity market, intends to start another round of bidding for renewable energy projects in 2018.