SaskPower Announces Demo Wind Power Projects for Ice Rinks

SaskPower,a Saskatchewan-based power utility company, declared its intention to expand its wind power demo projects to four more locations. The wind turbines will be erected at four community wind farms located in Saskatchewan.

The company will monitor the performance of the wind turbines for a period of up to five years to decide whether the self-producing electric power assists in offsetting the power bills in the chosen ice rinks.

Since its announcement in December, the project has received 138 applications from the ice rinks expressing their interest. The company intends to contact all the rinks who have submitted their Municipal Expression of Interest Form. The rinks that conform to the Expression of Interest standards will receive a proposal package to be returned to SaskPower by 4th March 2011.

The company will complete the process of choosing the rinks in the early part of 2011 and intend to notify the winning applicants in April 2011. The wind turbines are expected to be operational at the select ice rinks in summer 2011.