Enbridge's Alberta-based Blackspring Ridge wind farm earns major industry award
It’s not just blades, it’s books. It’s not just rotors, it’s rescues.
Blackspring Ridge, the largest operational wind farm in Western Canada, recently walked off with the Canadian Wind Energy Association’s (CanWEA) project-of-the-year honors during CanWEA’s annual awards ceremony in Toronto.
For Enbridge and project co-owner EDF EN Canada, CanWEA’s Wind Energy Project Award is about more than economics, key investments, and diversification of the energy landscape. It’s also about creating lasting partnerships in the community.
With 300 megawatts (MW) of capacity, and 166 Vestas turbines on 48,000 acres of private land, Blackspring Ridge creates enough zero-emission energy to meet the electricity needs of more than 117,000 homes. And in Vulcan County, Alberta, where the project is located, Enbridge has invested in local initiatives from safety to community services to literacy.
“Our community is very proud to be a part of such an important renewable energy project,” says Kym Nichols, mayor of Carmangay, AB, who nominated the Blackspring Ridge project for this annual CanWEA award.
Enbridge’s community investment initiatives in Vulcan County include:
- A grant for the Champion, AB, Fire Department toward purchase of a thermal imaging camera—a portable, lightweight tool that helps firefighters find victims, pinpoint access and exit points, and locate hot spots during or after a blaze;
- Support of the Rainbow Literacy Society, which focuses on family-oriented literacy programs, and the Village of Carmangay Library, a hub of community activity; and
- The Chinook Books for Babies program, a family literacy program that encourages parents to read to their children early in life.
“Our community investment work is really about supporting the communities where we operate, and focusing on community, environment and well-being at the local level,” says Gina Jordan, a senior manager of community relations at Enbridge.
CanWEA’s Wind Energy Project Award is presented to commissioned projects that demonstrate exceptional commitment to responsible and sustainable development through initial development, community engagement, permitting, and construction.
Blackspring Ridge is the second facility jointly owned by Enbridge and EDF EN Canada to earn Wind Energy Project Award kudos, after the 300 MW Lac Alfred wind farm in Quebec in 2013.
Enbridge’s current power generation and transmission portfolio throughout North America includes 14 wind projects, four solar farms, a geothermal project, and the Montana-Alberta Tie-Line, and represents more than $4-billion in investments.
