Canada - ENMAX begins construction on Taber wind farm

The ENMAX Corporation today announced it is commencing construction of an 80 megawatt (MW) wind power generating facility in the Municipal District of Taber in southern Alberta. Construction will begin immediately and be completed in the first quarter of 2007, at a total approximate cost of $140 million. “We are excited to get started,” said Gary Holden, President and CEO, ENMAX Corporation. “We have been working closely with the M.D. of Taber and members of the community on this project and are looking forward to seeing the wind farm take shape.” Initial work will include building a temporary facilities area and a permanent substation. Once the facilities area and access right-of-ways are in place, the foundations for the 37 turbines will be excavated and concrete poured. The Taber Wind Farm will employ a technologically advanced wind turbine design supplied by ENERCON, a German manufacturer.

A key element of the ENMAX wind power generating facility is a 20-year supply agreement with The City of Calgary. The wind farm will have a total power output of over 80MW, enough to power 75 per cent of The City’s operations. “Calgary’s efforts to switch to green energy, reduce our energy use and adopt the latest in environmental technology will serve as a model for other cities to follow.” said Dave Bronconnier, Mayor, City of Calgary. “When the City starts to take delivery of the green electricity in 2007, it will be the only major city in Canada to draw at least three-quarters of its electricity from green power. The agreement is the largest green power usage commitment of any municipality in North America.”

The federal government welcomed the start of construction for the Taber Wind Farm and focused on its ongoing support for renewable energy. "The new Government of Canada is pleased to contribute more than $19 million over 10 years towards this project," said the Honourable Gary Lunn, Minister of Natural Resources. "In the coming years, the potential for large-scale wind power generation will be immense. As we develop a made-in-Canada plan for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving the quality of our air, water and land, projects such as this will play an important role in applying the innovative technologies that Canada will need."

ENMAX Corporation and its predecessors have provided Albertans with safe and reliable electricity for over 100 years. ENMAX provides electricity, natural gas, renewable energy and value-added services to more than 457,500 residential, commercial and industrial customers in Alberta through its subsidiary companies. In addition to owning 50 per cent of the McBride Lake Wind Farm – one of Canada’s largest wind power facilities – the company has the first and largest green power marketing program of its kind in Canada. In 2006, ENMAX Energy Corporation received the Consumer Champion Award for its ground-breaking EasyMax program. For more information, visit our website at enmax.com.

For more information, contact ENMAX, Peter Hunt, (403) 514-1457, City of Calgary, Marc Henry, (403) 268-5622, Natural Resources Canada, Ghyslain Charron, (613) 992-4447