March 22, 2006—A new Manitoba wind power company plans to develop eight wind farms across the province, a mammoth project expected to cost $1.5 billion. “This is an industry that has taken off worldwide. It will be a major industry and we want Manitoba to be front and center, not just in Canada but in the world,” said Paul Edwards, a principal in Westman Wind Power Company.
Westman is a Manitoba wind power developer based in Winnipeg. The company was formed in 2004 to develop wind projects within the province.
The eight sites are Dominion City, St. Ambroise, Oak Point, MacDonald, Reykjavik, Long Point, Fort Alexander and Churchill. Assuming everything goes according to plan, the windmills at the first of its farms will be turning in 2008, with completion of the eighth farm three years later. The initial capacity of the project is 700 megawatts, with potential capacity of 1,400 megawatts, enough energy to power between 500,000 and 700,000 homes.
Each farm would have between 50 and 100 turbine towers, measuring 80 meters in height with 50-meter-long blades.
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