Bussiness News

Boralex Inc. (TSX: BLX), a leading independent renewable energy producer, officially opened the first phase of 40 megawatts (MW) of their total 90-MW wind farm project with two milestone events.  

Celebrations commenced at the Toronto Stock Exchange with the Honourable Brad Duguid, Ontario's Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, together with Patrick Lemaire, President and CEO of Boralex and JoAnne Butler, Vice-President of Electricity Resources of the Ontario Power Authority, opening the market. This was followed by a ceremony on the site of the Thames River wind farm, with dignitaries such as Pat Hoy, Member of Provincial Parliament for Chatham-Kent-Essex and Laura Formusa, President and CEO of Hydro One, joining members of Boralex and their industry partners.

"TSX is a leading global energy market, while the Chatham-Kent community and Ontario are leading the way in their support of wind and emerging clean energy technologies," said Patrick Lemaire. "Leader in wind energy production in France, we are pleased, as a Canadian producer, to operate our first wind farm in Canada. The Thames River wind site represents a significant investment in Ontario and an important contribution to wind energy in the province."

Boralex started construction in October of 2008 and the wind farm began supplying green energy to the province's electricity grid in December of 2009. The first phase of the Boralex Thames River wind site, with a total of 20 turbines and 40 MW, is currently connected and contributing power to the grid. Once the project is complete by the end of 2010, the site of a total installed capacity of 90 MW will produce more than 200 gigawatthours

(GWh) of renewable electricity. When operating, the 45 turbines - across nine different wind farms in total - can provide enough electricity to power approximately 25,000 homes and will contribute to reducing more than 40,000 tonnes of CO2 annually.

Together with multiple partners, Boralex is working to bring renewable energy to Ontario's grid. Part of its philosophy, Boralex has collaborated with many local suppliers to construct the Thames River wind site.

"I'm delighted to celebrate this significant milestone with Boralex," said Minister Duguid. "With partners such as Boralex, Ontario is emerging as leader in the clean energy economy, making the province a place of destination for investment and manufacturing. Together we will continue to transform Ontario's electricity generation system into one of the cleanest and greenest energy supply mixes in the world."

"Ontario is committed to building a clean energy system, improving the quality of our air and creating new green jobs," said Pat Hoy, MPP for Chatham-Kent-Essex. "The Boralex wind farms will contribute to these goals while boosting the local economy and helping Chatham-Kent provide clean electricity to power Ontario's homes, schools, hospitals and businesses."