Siemens expands wind power presence to Western Canada with agreement for first Alberta installation

Project developed, built and operated by Mainstream Renewable Power and owned by IKEA Canada

OAKVILLE, ON, Nov. 14, 2013 /CNW/ - Siemens Canada has expanded its wind power footprint in Canada to the Province of Alberta via an agreement for Mainstream Renewable Power's Oldman 2 wind project. The deal will see Siemens supply, deliver and commission 20 SWT-2.3-101 wind turbines with a hub height of 80 metres and blade length of 49 metres. Mainstream is currently building the wind farm and will operate it for its lifecycle. The deal also includes a long-term service and maintenance agreement to be fulfilled by Siemens. The project is wholly owned by IKEA Canada, making it the largest wind farm owned by a Canadian retailer.

Oldman 2 is a 46 MW installation to be situated in Pincher Creek in southern Alberta and will generate 161 gigawatt hours (GWh) of electricity each year, equivalent to the annual average electricity consumption of 13,500 Canadian households. Construction on the project has begun and commercial operation is expected by fall of 2014.

The Oldman 2 agreement represents Siemens' first foray into the Alberta wind market, strengthening the company's engineering capacity and energy business portfolio in the province. Siemens currently has offices in Calgary, Edmonton and Fort McMurray, Alberta.

Alberta is Canada's third-largest wind power market behind Ontario and Quebec, with 1,117 MW installed representing nearly 17 per cent of the nation's installed capacity for wind power¹.

QUOTES:

• "Alberta has abundant wind resources and a growing energy market. As a leader in the Canadian wind industry we look forward to bringing our technology to the province for the first time and helping bring renewable energy to Albertans."  
  - Jacob Andersen, Vice President Wind Power, Siemens Canada Limited
  
  
• "Mainstream Renewable Power is pleased to be building on our existing global relationship with IKEA. Partnering with corporations who are committed to a sustainable future is a very exciting and growing part of Mainstream's global business. This project is a significant investment in Alberta's renewable energy future."
  - Eddie O'Connor, Chief Executive Office, Mainstream Renewable Power
  
  
• "IKEA Canada's investment in renewable energy is a win-win-win. We are able to support the transition to a low-carbon future, reduce our energy and operating costs, and pass those benefits on to our customers by continuing to offer high quality home furnishings at low prices. This wind farm in Alberta, along with existing solar installations at three of our Ontario stores, is a significant step to achieving IKEA's global ambition to be energy independent by 2020, producing more renewable energy than we consume."
  - Kerri Molinaro, President of IKEA Canada

About Siemens Canada 
For more than 100 years the innovative ideas from Siemens have helped make Canada a better place. From the Atlantic to Pacific oceans, more than 4,500 employees in Canada work together to provide answers that last in the fields of industry, energy, healthcare and infrastructure solutions for cities. Since it was federally chartered in 1912, Siemens has stood for technical achievements, innovation, quality and reliability. Sales for Siemens in Canada in fiscal 2012 (ended September 30), were $2.1 billion CAD. The company has 53 offices and 14 manufacturing/assembly facilities across Canada. Further information is available at www.siemens.ca.

About Mainstream Renewable Power
Mainstream Renewable Power is one of the world's leading independent developers of renewable energy projects. With a development pipeline of over 19GW globally it is currently constructing solar and wind farms across Ireland, South Africa, Chile and Canada.  As Europe's leading independent offshore wind developer Mainstream is developing just under 8GW of offshore wind projects in England, Scotland and Germany with 4.45GW of secured grid connection for these offshore projects.   It employs more than 160 experienced staff across four continents with offices in Berlin, Cape Town, Chicago, Dublin, Glasgow, Johannesburg, London, Santiago and Toronto.   www.mainstreamrp.com

About IKEA Group
The IKEA vision is to create a better everyday life for the many people. Our business idea supports this vision by offering a wide range of well-designed, functional home furnishing products at prices so low that as many people as possible will be able to afford them. There are currently 298 IKEA Group stores in 26 countries. IKEA was founded in Sweden in 1943. The IKEA Group employs 139 000 co-workers and had 690 million visitors during FY12. For more information, please visit  www.IKEA.com.

This press release may contain forward-looking statements based on the beliefs of the management of Siemens Canada Limited and its affiliates. The words "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "forecast," "expect," "intend," "plan," "should," and "project," are used to identify forward-looking statements. Such statements reflect the management's current views with respect to future events and are subject to risks and uncertainties. Many factors could cause the actual results to be materially different, among others, changes in general economic and business conditions, changes in currency exchange rate and interest rates, introduction of competing products, lack of acceptance of new products or services and changes in business strategy. Actual results may vary materially from those projected here. Siemens Canada Limited and its affiliates do not intend or assume any obligation to update these forward-looking statements.

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¹ Installed capacity as of August 2013. Source: CanWEA

SOURCE: Siemens Canada Limited