DP Energy, an Irish company developing large-scale renewable energy projects in Canada and around the world, has received approval for the 325 MW Thermis solar project in Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada. Approval for the project, which will be the largest urban solar project in North America when completed, follows a public hearing held in the city in April.
Located in the northwest of Canada’s sunniest city, the Thermis Solar Farm will support Alberta’s goal of sourcing 30 per cent of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030. It is expected to generate enough electricity to power approximately 250,000 homes and offset approximately 300,000 tonnes of carbon emissions annually.
With over 600,000 solar panels installed, the Thermis Solar Park will create numerous direct employment opportunities during its construction, operation and decommissioning phases, as well as a wide range of indirect employment opportunities throughout the supply chain.
Nearly half of the 1,600-acre project is located on a contaminated brownfield site covered with deposits of phosphogypsum, a by-product of fertilizer manufacturing. It is the largest of three projects DP Energy has developed on similar brownfield sites, behind the 64-MW Barlow and Deerfoot solar park project in Calgary, Canada, which began operation last year.
DP Energy’s Canadian development portfolio also includes the planned 200 MW Miyopiiwin Wind Project in Saskatchewan in partnership with Piapot First Nation, and the 400 MW Nova East Wind Project, a joint venture with SBM Offshore that aims to be Canada’s first offshore wind project.
Headquartered in Buttevant, north Cork, DP Energy has been operating for over 30 years and has delivered 1.5 GW (1,533 MW) of renewable energy generation through 21 significant infrastructure projects around the world. DP Energy currently has a pipeline of 9.7 GW of renewable energy projects across Ireland, the UK, Australia and Canada.
DP Energy was founded with a commitment to using the most sustainable, environmentally responsible methods and minimising the impact on other species, including marine mammals, in all energy developments, and this commitment remains at the core of what we do.
Commenting on this milestone, Damien Bettles, head of Canadian development at DP Energy, said, “We are excited about the AUC’s approval for the Thermis Solar Farm. Solar farms are a great productive use of land, creating local jobs and contributing to Alberta’s emissions reduction targets. This approval marks an important milestone for the project and a significant step as the project moves forward towards commencing construction.”
For more news and technical articles from the global renewable energy industry, check out the latest issue of Energy Global magazine: Energy Global Summer 2024 Issue
The Summer 2024 edition of Energy Global kicks off with guest comments from Terrawatt on Italy’s streamlining of permitting processes, before moving on to Frost & Sullivan’s regional report on the Asia-Pacific energy landscape. The issue covers key topics including wind farm vessels, offshore wind turbine fundamentals, weather analysis and solar PV maintenance.
You can read the article online: https://www.energyglobal.com/solar/26072024/dp-energy-secures-approval-for-largest-urban-solar-development-in-north-america/
