Manufacturer Selected for the First Wind Turbine in the City of Toronto

ARCHIVED 2002–2016: Originally distributed via the eWire press wire service. Preserved as historical record.

SUBSCRIBE/UNSUBSCRIBE |

Conservation & Wildlife

Corporate Responsibility

Science & Technology

Syndication Partners

**************************************************************************

E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE E-WIRE PRESS RELEASE

**************************************************************************

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Manufacturer Selected for the First Wind Turbine in the City of Toronto

CANADA, ONTARIO, TORONTO, Mar. 27 -/E-Wire/-- Joint venture partners, Toronto Hydro Energy Services Inc. and the Toronto Renewable Energy Co-operative (TREC), have selected a manufacturer for the first wind turbine in Toronto, to be located on the waterfront at Exhibition Place. The successful supplier is Lagerwey Windturbine International B.V., a Dutch-based manufacturer. The contract with Lagerwey is worth approximately $1.2 million.

"We're delighted that, in a matter of months, Toronto will be the site of the first downtown wind turbine in Canada," said Hilda Mackow, President and Chief Executive Officer of Toronto Hydro Energy Services. "Because of the prominent location, the turbine will go a long way in raising public awareness of the benefits of this renewable technology. It's part of our commitment to our customers and the City - to develop green electricity sources that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve our local air quality."

"The first wind turbine for Toronto has been ordered," confirmed Bryan Young, General Manager of TREC, the community-based partner in the project. "And I'm pleased to report that our work begins with pouring the foundation this May." To facilitate the development of TREC's share of the project, the Co-operative received assistance from the Government of Canada and the Toronto Atmospheric Fund (TAF).

The Government of Canada provided TREC with a $240,000 contribution towards the purchase of the wind turbine. An additional $90,000 in federal funding is helping the Co-operative develop this community-based model of wind energy.

"The Government of Canada is pleased to be working with companies and communities across the country to explore innovative approaches to the challenges of pollution and global warming," said Environment Minister David Anderson. "The building of this facility on the Toronto waterfront will become a highly visible landmark demonstrating to Torontonians and all visitors of Canada's largest metropolis that it is possible to produce power in an environmentally-friendly way."

"Wind and other emerging renewable energy sources are an important element in the Government of Canada's plan to address climate change," said Herb Dhaliwal, Minister of Natural Resources Canada. "This is why the Government of Canada made a $260 million commitment in Budget 2001 last December to support wind power production across Canada."

"The wind turbine is a good example of a local solution to the global problem of climate change - a great fit with the Toronto Atmospheric Fund mandate," said Phillip Jessup, TAF's executive director. "It will also bring us closer to achieving the City of Toronto's objectives for air quality improvements." TAF contributed a combination of grants and bridge financing to TREC for the project. The City has a commitment to reduce its own CO(2) emissions by 20% by 2005. TAF was created in 1991 to fund projects to help the City achieve this goal.

"We, at Exhibition Place, are very pleased to be a partner with Toronto Hydro Energy Services and the Toronto Renewable Energy Co-operative in this forward-looking environmental initiative," said Councillor Mario Silva, Chair, Board of Governors, Exhibition Place. The site for the turbine is located at the western edge of Exhibition Place.

The Lagerwey wind turbine, a three-bladed 750 kW gearless generator, is capable of producing 1,800-megawatt hours of energy per year, enough electricity for about 250 homes. Delivery of the turbine is scheduled for September and commissioning is planned for later in the fall. This is Lagerwey's first installation of a utility-scale wind turbine in North America.

Each of the turbine's blades, 29 metres in length, will be mounted on a tower 65 metres high. From the ground to the tip of the highest blade, the turbine will stand 98 metres tall, about as high as the Royal York Hotel in downtown Toronto. Estimates indicate the wind turbine will displace, annually, up to 1,800 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO(2)), 8,400 kilograms of sulphur dioxide (SO(2)) and 5,600 kilograms of nitrous oxide (NO(x)) - the main ingredients in acid rain, smog and ground-level ozone.

Toronto Hydro Energy Services is purchasing the electricity generated by the wind turbine as part of the pool of green power it plans to make available for purchase by businesses and homeowners. TREC, a member-owned co-operative, will be selling memberships, marketed under the name "WindShare", in its share of the turbine to businesses and homeowners. The Government of Canada has an option to acquire some of the electricity generated by the turbine for federal government facilities in the City of Toronto.

Under the terms of the joint venture, Toronto Hydro Energy Services and TREC will install two wind turbines on Toronto's waterfront. Negotiations continue for the construction of a turbine on the second site, located at the Ashbridge's Bay Sewage Treatment Plant.

Toronto Hydro Energy Services is a leading Ontario retailer of electricity, natural gas and energy efficient products and services, and a developer of alternative clean and green energy. The company serves all customer segments including residential, commercial and institutional, and is an affiliate of Toronto Hydro Corporation, which is owned by the City of Toronto.

The Toronto Renewable Energy Co-operative was founded in 1997 by members of the North Toronto Green Community, a neighbourhood-based environmental group. The Co-operative was launched with grants from the Toronto Atmospheric Fund, a statutory agency of the City of Toronto whose mandate is to fund projects which will help Toronto meet its commitment to lower CO(2) emissions.

The Government of Canada funding comes from the Technology Early Action Measures (TEAM) component of the Government of Canada's Climate Change Action Fund. TEAM focuses on supporting investments in the development and deployment of technology to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, while sustaining economic and social development. All of the Government of Canada funding for this agreement is built into the existing financial framework.

Lagerwey the Windmaster produces variable-speed, direct drive turbines with rated capacities of 250 kW, 750 kW, 900 kW and 2 MW in various models and design applications as well as other turbines in other capacity classes. The LW 58 750 kW is an inland optimized version of the LW 52 750 kW of which more than 100 turbines have been sold to Japan. This year, Lagerwey will also install 50 turbines of the LW 52 in Spain. In April, 2002, Lagerwey will build the prototype of the LW 72 in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. This turbine will be the largest turbine in the Netherlands with a nominal power of 2MW.

For further information

Cathren Ronberg, Toronto Hydro Energy Services Inc., Tel: (416) 542-3110, e-mail: [REDACTED-EMAIL] Bryan Young, Toronto Renewable Energy Co-operative, Tel: (416) 977-5093, e-mail: [REDACTED-EMAIL] Ad Slotboom, Lagerwey Windturbine International B.V., Tel: 011-31-342 402 113, e-mail: [REDACTED-EMAIL] Leslie Welsh, Environment Canada, Tel: (819) 953-1127, e-mail: [REDACTED-EMAIL]

Toronto Hydro Corporation; Toronto Hydro Energy Services Inc.

Cathren Ronberg, Toronto Hydro Energy Services Inc.,(416) 542-3110,[REDACTED-EMAIL];

Bryan Young, Toronto Renewable Energy Co-operative,(416) 977-5093, [REDACTED-EMAIL];Ad Slotboom, Lagerwey Windturbine International B.V.,

011-31-342 402 13,[REDACTED-EMAIL];Leslie Welsh, Environment Canada, (819) 953-1127, [REDACTED-EMAIL]

http://www.torontohydro.com

http://http://www.trec.on.ca

**************************************************************************

To Transmit Your News Over E-Wire, visit http://www.ewire.com or

call 1-[REDACTED-PHONE]. E-Wire Is Broadcast To Millions Of Readers Worldwide

**************************************************************************