Samsung and Pattern Secure Financing and Begin Construction of South Kent Wind Project

TORONTO, March 12, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- More new jobs for Chatham-Kent and Ontario residents are a step closer to becoming a reality. Today, Samsung Renewable Energy, Inc. (Samsung) and Pattern Energy Group LP (Pattern) announced that they have secured financing for the 270 megawatt (MW) South Kent Wind project, which allows this important renewable energy project to move forward into the construction phase. There will be an average of 300 workers on-site throughout project construction and approximately 500 workers during peak construction periods.

Workers and subcontractors from across Southwestern Ontario will be involved in every aspect of the project – from manufacture and assembly of the wind turbines to site construction and installation work. South Kent Wind will utilize 124 Ontario-made turbines, including towers manufactured by Ontarians at CS Wind's factory in Windsor and blades manufactured by Ontarians at Siemens' factory in Tillsonburg. The project will also bring significant community benefits and generate substantial tax revenues for the Municipality of Chatham-Kent over the next 20 years, benefiting local schools and the overall community.

The South Kent Wind project will provide renewable energy equal to the needs of approximately 100,000 homes each year, allowing Ontario to continue to move away from its dependence on coal energy production. This project is an important part of Samsung's $7-billion investment in Ontario to build and operate 2,500 MW of wind and solar power, creating the largest renewable energy cluster in the world. Through this investment, Samsung and its partners are establishing four manufacturing facilities in Windsor, Toronto, Tillsonburg and London, creating 900 new manufacturing jobs and 16,000 jobs overall in communities hit hard by the global recession.

"Samsung was selected by the Ontario Government for our expertise in the alternative energy field and proven track record of constructing projects of similar scale around the world," said Yoon-Gyung Boo, Executive Vice President of Samsung C&T Corporation (Samsung Renewable Energy's parent company). "Samsung Renewable Energy is proud to be an Ontario corporation and is equally proud to work with Ontario's high-skilled workforce on this project."

"South Kent Wind will bring much more than renewable energy to Chatham-Kent, it will create new jobs, generate tax revenue and provide a boost to the local economy," said Mike Garland, CEO of Pattern Energy. "The strong winds of the area are an excellent natural resource. We are focused on turning those winds into a strong source of clean energy while at the same time investing in the long-term economic health of the community."

Compared to coal-fired generation, the South Kent Wind project will offset approximately 842,000 tonnes of CO2 each year, the equivalent of taking nearly 135,000 cars off the roads, and conserve enough water to meet the needs of approximately 23,600 Ontarians.

Samsung and Pattern are making significant progress on three other wind energy projects in Ontario. Together, these four projects will create 870 MW of renewable energy for the Ontario Power Authority (OPA), enough clean energy to power more than 300,000 homes in Ontario each year. The additional three projects are the 150 MW Grand Renewable Energy Park in Haldimand County, the 270 MW K2 Wind project in the Township of Ashfield-Colborne-Wawanosh and the 180 MW Armow Wind project in the Municipality of Kincardine.

About Samsung C&T
Founded in 1938, Samsung C&T is the mother company of the Samsung Group, South Korea's largest conglomerate with interests in electronics, chemicals, finance, and numerous other fields. Today, the company's two business groups – Trading & Investment and Engineering & Construction – are involved in a broad and growing portfolio of businesses, delivering creative, integrated business solutions to customers worldwide through a network of over 100 offices in 44 countries. For more information, please visit http://www.samsungcnt.com/EN/index.asp

Samsung Renewable Energy is creating clean, renewable energy for generations to come. Together with our partners, Samsung is making an unprecedented $7-billion investment in Ontario to create the world's largest cluster of wind and solar power. Our investments will create 900 high-skilled jobs in renewable energy and 16,000 total jobs in Ontario. Built on our commercial and technical expertise and the success of our renewable energy projects in several countries – including the United States, Australia and Italy – Samsung is creating real jobs, through real investment, benefitting real people. For more information, please visit www.samsungrenewableenergy.ca.

About Pattern
Pattern Energy Group LP is an independent, fully-integrated energy company that develops, constructs, owns, and operates renewable energy and transmission assets in the United States, Canada and Latin America.  With a long history in wind energy, Pattern's highly-experienced team of scientists, engineers, construction experts, and legal and financial professionals has developed, financed and placed into operation nearly 3,000 MW of wind power projects. A strong commitment to promoting environmental stewardship drives the Company's dedication to work closely with landowners and communities to create premier renewable energy projects. Pattern currently operates approximately 1,000 MW of installed wind energy capacity in North America and Puerto Rico. The Company's full development pipeline exceeds 3,000 MW of renewable energy and transmission projects.  Pattern has offices in San Francisco, San Diego, Houston, New York, and Toronto. For more information please visit www.patternenergy.com. 

SOURCE Pattern Energy Group LP