Global e-commerce giant Amazon is looking to southern Alberta to build its first Canadian wind farm.The online retailer said Thursday it has selected Vulcan County for the site of a 495-megawatt facility in partnership with Denmark-based Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners.It comes on the heels of its $500 million Travers solar project, also in Vulcan, in March of last year. At 465 megawatts, it’s Canada’s largest photovoltaic power plant.Costs weren’t disclosed.In a release, the Seattle-based company said those projects will help power the company’s fulfilment centres, sortation centres, delivery stations and dedicated Web Services data centre. Amazon has committed to powering its operations with 100% 'renewable' power by 2030 and says it is on track to reach that goal ahead of schedule.“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..Besides Amazon, other companies that have signed similar deals include RBC, Shopify, Telus and Ikea..“There is a similar demand from corporate customers across Canada who want to power their operations with renewable energy.”It’s part of a broader trend toward large corporate consumers looking to secure long-term power purchase agreements to offset emissions. That has made Alberta the fastest growing market for renewable energy — both wind and solar — in the country. Besides Amazon, other companies that have signed similar deals include RBC, Shopify, Telus and Ikea..The headlong rush into major renewables projects has raised concerns about using arable farmland for large-scale projects that may require hundreds of millions of dollars of reclamation and abandonment liabilities. That in turn prompted the Alberta government to impose a moratorium on renewable power projects until at least February.According to the Pembina Institute there are presently 118 large-scale renewable energy projects on hold — not including Amazon’s — in 27 Alberta municipalities worth about $33 billion.
Global e-commerce giant Amazon is looking to southern Alberta to build its first Canadian wind farm.The online retailer said Thursday it has selected Vulcan County for the site of a 495-megawatt facility in partnership with Denmark-based Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners.It comes on the heels of its $500 million Travers solar project, also in Vulcan, in March of last year. At 465 megawatts, it’s Canada’s largest photovoltaic power plant.Costs weren’t disclosed.In a release, the Seattle-based company said those projects will help power the company’s fulfilment centres, sortation centres, delivery stations and dedicated Web Services data centre. Amazon has committed to powering its operations with 100% 'renewable' power by 2030 and says it is on track to reach that goal ahead of schedule.“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..Besides Amazon, other companies that have signed similar deals include RBC, Shopify, Telus and Ikea..“There is a similar demand from corporate customers across Canada who want to power their operations with renewable energy.”It’s part of a broader trend toward large corporate consumers looking to secure long-term power purchase agreements to offset emissions. That has made Alberta the fastest growing market for renewable energy — both wind and solar — in the country. Besides Amazon, other companies that have signed similar deals include RBC, Shopify, Telus and Ikea..The headlong rush into major renewables projects has raised concerns about using arable farmland for large-scale projects that may require hundreds of millions of dollars of reclamation and abandonment liabilities. That in turn prompted the Alberta government to impose a moratorium on renewable power projects until at least February.According to the Pembina Institute there are presently 118 large-scale renewable energy projects on hold — not including Amazon’s — in 27 Alberta municipalities worth about $33 billion.
