SUEZ and wind power
With more than 60 countries now using wind power to produce electricity, it has seen the most significant growth of all renewable energies between 1995 and 2005, of nearly 30% on average per year. For the SUEZ group, wind power is a completely separate element within its energy portfolio, characterized by the ability to enable decentralized electricity production. Anywhere that the wind blows hard and consistently (particularly at sea), wind power benefits from a particularly promising operating environment. With more than 30 wind farms operating around the world, the SUEZ group is constantly increasing its operating power from this energy, with more efficiency (better monitoring of wind variations, increased reliability of facilities), reduced investment costs and constant attention to protection of the landscape.
SUEZ group know-how
The SUEZ group, via its various subsidiaries, is involved in wind power projects both upstream and downstream. It subsidiaries INEO and Tractebel Engineering evaluate (wind speed, characteristics of the local terrain), design and develop projects, while advising operators on the management of numerous wind farms. The SUEZ group is also a project owner and is responsible for producing electricity through its European subsidiaries: Electrabel as a fully-owned company, La Compagnie du Vent, La Compagnie Nationale du Rhône, Generg, AceaElectrabel as well as its subsidiary Ventus Energy in North America. SUEZ is focusing on developing its investment in wind power operations around the world in order to complete its expertise in this branch of energy.
Wind power projects in Canada
At the end of September 2007, SUEZ Energy North America acquired Ventus Energy of Canada, an operator with a portfolio of 10 wind farm projects under development and operational in six provinces in eastern Canada (Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador). This wind power portfolio, which is one of the largest in Canada, represents an electrical production capacity of nearly 2000MW in various stages of development. In the same vein, SUEZ Energy North America?s renewable energy cluster, SUEZ Renewable Energy NA (SRENA), has agreed to supply electricity produced from one of its wind farms, which will be operational by the end of 2009, to Canadian distributor New Brunswick Power. The wind turbines for this farm will be erected within the boundaries of the Province of New Brunswick and will have a total capacity of 99MW.
Key figures
At December 31st 2007, the installed production capacity of the SUEZ group from wind power was 833 MWe. Wind power now represents 7% of the SUEZ group?s "renewable energy" portfolio, just behind hydroelectricity and ahead of biomass, biogas and solar. The SUEZ group has 30 wind farms around the world, located mainly in Portugal, France, Belgium, Italy and Canada.