The Canadian Wind Energy Association (CanWEA) today expressed its disappointment with the Ontario government’s decision to pause offshore wind energy developments.
“Ontario is proving itself a leader in driving a new clean energy future that delivers emission-free power and new jobs for our skilled trade workers,” said CanWEA president Robert Hornung. “This is an unfortunate decision that surrenders the province’s leadership role in exploring the potential for offshore wind energy in the Great lakes and creates significant uncertainty for investors.”
There was more than 2,000 MW of installed offshore wind energy capacity in ten countries worldwide at the end of 2009. While there are currently no offshore wind farms in North America, several projects are in development in the U.S. Global wind power installations increased by 35.8 GW in 2010, according to figures released by the Global Wind Energy Council. This brings total installed wind energy capacity up to 194.4 GW, a 22.5 per cent increase on the 158.7 GW installed at the end of 2009. New capacity added in 2010 represents investments worth $65 billion (US).
“As a responsible industry that promotes sustainable development practices, we look forward to working with the government to understand their proposed timelines and scope of research into the application of offshore wind energy in the Great Lakes,” said Hornung. “We ultimately believe there is great potential for offshore wind energy to provide clean energy and new jobs in Ontario. We are encouraged, however, to see the government’s continued commitment to its Long-Term Energy Plan, which includes significant growth in wind energy production in Ontario.”
About Canadian Wind Energy Association
CanWEA is the voice of Canada’s wind energy industry, actively promoting the responsible and sustainable growth of wind energy on behalf of its more than 450 members. A national non-profit association, CanWEA serves as Canada’s leading source of credible information about wind energy and its social, economic and environmental benefits. To join other global leaders in the wind energy industry, CanWEA believes Canada can and must reach its target of producing 20 per cent or more of the country’s electricity from wind by 2025. The document Wind Vision 2025 – Powering Canada’s Future is available at www.canwea.ca.
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Source: canwea, February 14, 2011