GOLDBECK SOLAR, PACE CANADA LP and GP Joule started the first project together.
GOLDBECK SOLAR, announces the start of construction of the Joffre solar plant with the ground-breaking ceremony in Joffre, Lacombe County. This is the first project to enter construction of the 100 MWp portfolio of projects developed with the PACE Canada LP joint venture. The 47 MWac project will create 88450 MWhs of clean energy per year, which is enough to power more than 12,000 Alberta homes each year and will be built by GP JOULE Canada, which has 11 years of experience in this territory and is now part of the GOLDBECK SOLAR group.
This project and the following 3 projects: Youngstown, Hanna and Caroline will create a need for new skills in Alberta and a significant contribution to the tax base that can grow Alberta’s rural economies.
The construction of the Joffre solar plant alone will support the equivalent of [400] full-time construction jobs and 8 full-time operation and maintenance jobs over the life of the project. The project will provide a considerable property tax and local purchasing contribution to the municipality over the life of the project. Solar energy projects like Joffre’s also create an opportunity for diversification and income certainty for the landowner as they work on innovation to adapt to the impacts of climate change and on increasing agricultural yields from land under solar lease.
The development and expansion of PACE Canada LP.’s clean energy portfolio will support Alberta’s position as Canada’s leader in clean, sustainable and affordable energy to increase its attractiveness as a location for forward-thinking, climate-conscious businesses.
An overall strategy
Alberta is a key market for renewable energy. The construction of the Solar farm Joffre requires more than C$70 million of investment and, with the government’s continued support for the growth of this sector, PACE Canada LP intends to raise and deploy significant funds in Alberta’s clean energy sector over the coming years.
Joachim Goldbeck / CEO of GOLDBECK SOLAR Group and Director of PACE Canada, adds: “Canada and Alberta in particular are very promising markets for us. We started with project developments in the PACE Canada LP in March and recently acquired the specialised EPC unit GP JOULE EPC NA to complete our clean energy strategy for Canada. With them as part of our GOLDBECK SOLAR group, we want to build many more projects like this in Alberta and across Canada.
Barbara Shepherd, Reeve of Lacombe County, said in support of their first utility-scale project: “Lacombe County welcomes PACE Canada LP to our community. With access to the electrical grid just across the fence from the site, we believe it is the perfect location for the ‘first of its kind’ project in the county.”
