CARLYLE — Construction of the new Bekevar Wind Energy Facility north of Moose Mountain Provincial Park is complete, says SaskPower in a news release Friday morning.
Owned and operated by Bekevar Wind LP, a limited partnership between Innagreen Investments and Awasis Nehiyawewini Energy Development Limited Partnership, a wholly-owned Cowesses First Nation entity, the wind facility will provide up to 200 megawatts (MW) of emissions-free power to the grid.
SaskPower will purchase power generated at the facility though a 25-year agreement. At 200 MW, the facility can generate the equivalent amount of power needed for up to 100,000 homes.
“We are committed to achieving a net-zero greenhouse gas emissions power system, and we are on track to do so by 2050 or earlier,” said Rupen Pandya, SaskPower president & CEO. “Bekevar, which is Saskatchewan’s largest-ever renewable energy facility with Indigenous ownership, marks another important step toward that ambitious goal.”
SaskPower plans to add up to 3,000 MW of wind and solar generation by 2035, with 1,000 MW of wind and solar generation currently in various stages of development. For all current and future wind and solar competitions, SaskPower has included a requirement that proposals must have at least 10 per cent Indigenous ownership.
“We are excited to be a part of this important initiative and to see it come to completion. As Indigenous people, we feel it is our duty to not only invest in clean energy, but to place ourselves front and centre as leaders in clean energy,” says Chief Erica Beaudin of Cowessess First Nation. “Yotin (“wind” in Cree) plays an important role in our cultural ways of being and firmly believe this mighty spirit has many more teachings and blessings to bestow upon us all.”
“The completion of Bekevar exemplifies the strength of partnerships and innovating financing in driving Canada’s energy future,” said Olly Alexander, Innagreen CEO. “We are proud to work alongside Cowessess First Nation and RES to realise this important project, that will deliver tangible benefits locally for Cowessess First Nation members. Bekevar is our second project in Canada, and we remain focused on developing long-term partnerships that bring forward high-quality projects for our investors.”
Facts about the Bekevar wind facility includes 36 wind turbines.
To lower environmental impacts from the construction of wind farms — like birds and bats flying close by — the facility is built in an area with fewer migration paths and less vegetation.
The concrete used to build the turbine foundations includes 3,141 tonnes of fly ash, a coal byproduct sourced primarily from Boundary Dam Power Station.
For more information, visit saskpower.com