Amazon selects Alberta to build 1st Canadian wind farm project

Tech giant Amazon is investing in its first Canadian wind farm.

The company said it will partner with developer Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners on a 495-megawatt capacity wind farm to be built in Vulcan County in southern Alberta.

The announcement on Thursday marks Amazon’s fourth renewable energy project in Canada and comes on the heels of the recent opening of the company’s Travers Solar Project, which is also located in southern Alberta and is the largest solar farm ever constructed in Canada.

That project, together with the newly announced wind farm, will help power Amazon’s local operations in Alberta, including its fulfilment centers, sortation centers, delivery stations and Amazon Web Services data centre.

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Amazon has also previously invested in a smaller solar farm in Newell County, Alta., and a rooftop solar energy project at an Amazon delivery station in Nisku near Edmonton.

The company is one of a growing number of large corporations that are seeking to achieve their own environmental commitments by purchasing long-term renewable electricity contracts known as power purchase agreements.

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The Alberta electricity market in particular has seen a significant increase in corporate power purchase agreements in recent years — a trend that has contributed to the rapid growth of the renewable energy sector in the province.

“Amazon demonstrates strong leadership in contracting the renewable energy they need to power their operations in Alberta,” said Evan Wilson, vice-president of policy at the Canadian Renewable Energy Association.

“There is a similar demand from corporate customers across Canada who want to power their operations with renewable energy.”

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Amazon has committed to powering its operations with 100 per cent renewable energy by 2030, and says it is on track to reach that goal ahead of schedule.

The company currently has 479 wind and solar projects globally.

Besides Amazon, other companies that have signed renewable power purchase agreements in Canada in recent years include RBC, Shopify, Telus and Ikea.