Canada now ranked 6th globally in new wind capacity: $3.1 billion CAD invested in 2011 adding 1,267 MW

The Canadian government has been working hard lately to pitch Canada is an energy superpower and this seems to ring truer every day. Apart from being the world’s 6th largest crude oil producer, Canada has emerged as a renewable energy giant after being ranked 6th globally in new installed wind energy capacity, according to statistics released recently by the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC). Canada attracted $3.1 billion CAD in the wind energy sector in 2011 adding 1,267 megawatt of new capacity to provincial grids, a 21% improvement over the previous year. Canada now boasts total capacity of 5,265 MW of wind energy after new projects were built and commissioned in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia during 2011. The Canadian Wind Energy Association (CanWEA) expects 2012 to be another record year for wind development in Canada with approximately 1,500 MW of new developments expected to come online in Quebec, Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia. “With similar or higher levels of growth expected over the next four years, Canada’s wind energy industry is on pace to easily surpass 10,000 MW of total installed capacity by 2015 – keeping the country on track to meet CanWEA’s national WindVision target of supplying 20% of Canada’s electricity needs by 2025,” said a CanWEA statement.

Source: Yadullah Hussain, Financial Post