Vestas, which has multiple locations in Colorado, 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. It is a joint venture of EDF EN Canada Inc. and Enbridge and marks the largest order for Vestas wind turbines in Canada.

Photo courtesy of Vestas

It will become the largest wind power plant in Western Canada with the capacity to provide electricity to nearly 140,000 households.

Vestas’ U.S. factories in Colorado will manufacture 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.

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.”

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