PACE Canada has announced the commencement of construction of the Joffre solar plant with its ground-breaking ceremony in Joffre, Lacombe County.
This is the first PACE Canada project to enter construction and the lead project in their current advanced 100 MW clean energy project pipeline. The 47 MWac project will create 88000 MWhs of clean energy annually, which is enough to power more than 12,000 Albertan households with electricity each year. This and the follow-on PACE projects will create the requirement for new skills in Alberta and significant contribution to the tax base that can grow Alberta’s rural economies.
The construction of the Joffre solar plant alone will support 8 full-time operation and maintenance positions over the lifetime of the project. The project will bring in considerable property tax contributions and local purchases to the municipality over the lifetime of the project. Solar energy projects such as Joffre also creates an opportunity for diversification and certainty of revenue for the landowner as they work to innovate to adapt to impacts of climate change and increase agricultural yields from the lands under solar lease.
PACE relocated its operations from Vancouver to Calgary in early 2022 to support its expansion in Alberta and is hiring to expand its Alberta based development, project management and project support teams.
The development and expansion of the PACE clean energy portfolio will support Alberta’s position as a leader in Canada for clean, sustainable and affordable energy to increase its attractiveness as a location for forward thinking and climate aware companies.
Claude Mindorff, Director of Development for PACE Canada says, ‘beyond the employment benefits and income contributions to farmers and the community there’s a symbiotic relationship that exists between food, energy and water. Solar and agriculture don’t need to compete but can complement one another. Land underneath the panels can create and intensify native grasslands and forage crops added to improve biological diversity. We are not taking arable lands out of production; we are intensifying the agricultural use of them, while creating renewable energy. We are farming two crops simultaneously - energy and agricultural production’.
Rob Denman, Managing Director of PACE Group and President of PACE Canada LP said, ‘PACE is delighted to announce the commencement of construction of the Joffre Solar park. This is the first of a considerable pipeline of clean energy projects we are advancing that will include not just solar but also energy storage and green hydrogen as the market develops. Alberta is a key market for growth for PACE and we are excited to bring forward clean power in the region in support of the economic development of Alberta’s green economy. This project requires over CAD70m of investment and with continued government support to the growth of this sector PACE is looking to raise and deploy significant funds into the Alberta clean energy sector in the years ahead as we expand our project portfolio and technology types we are investing in’.
Speakers at the event included Barbara Shepherd, Reeve, Lacombe County who said, "Lacombe County welcomes PACE to our community. With access to the electrical grid just across the fence from the site we believe that this is the perfect place for the "first of its kind" project in the County” and the Honourable Ron Orr, Minister of Culture and MLA for Lacombe-Ponoka who said of the development, “PACE’s investment in Joffre and Lacombe County is truly something to be excited about. Renewable energy in Alberta is growing rapidly and PACE is contributing to that growth by bringing their innovative solutions – and jobs – to our province. This clean energy project will benefit our provincial electrical grid and I look forward to future projects championed by PACE in Alberta”.
PACE has had support over the development of its operation from Invest Alberta. Rick Christiaanse, CEO, Invest Alberta added, “PACE’s solar plant adds great value to Lacombe County and further builds on the opportunity for clean energy projects in rural Alberta communities. These high-impact, high-value projects are furthering Alberta’s clean energy transition and helping put Alberta on the map as a global leader in renewable energy solutions. As this is the first of its four projects coming to Alberta, we look forward to supporting PACE’s expanding presence in the province.”
About PACE Canada
PACE Canada LP is a partnership jointly and equally owned by Pathfinder Clean Energy, a global clean energy development and investment company, and GOLDBECK SOLAR, a German company specializing in the construction of large-scale solar power plants, based in Germany
The joint venture has a focus in Canada on utility scale solar, battery energy storage and green hydrogen production. PACE Canada undertakes and manages the entire project value chain, from site selection through permitting, planning, financing and offtake agreements, to be a market-leading platform for clean energy development and investment in Canada.
PACE Canada intends to develop and own and operate over 500MW of clean energy projects within three years and expand its interests in the country into energy storage, green hydrogen
www.pacecanada.com
About Pathfinder Clean Energy (PACE)
Pathfinder Clean Energy is headquartered in London and is a global developer and investor into clean energy with projects and interests in the UK, Europe and Canada. With a significant advanced portfolio of over 1.5GW of utility scale solar and energy storage projects it is expanding its operations to make a significant contribution to the challenge of achieving net zero. PACE has recently announced its expansion into the green hydrogen market.
www.pathfinderce.com
About GOLDBECK SOLAR
GOLDBECK SOLAR is an international company specialising in the turnkey construction of commercial rooftop and ground-mounted photovoltaic systems. The range of services covers the entire value chain, from project development and targeted project financing to the construction and integration of storage technologies, technical operation and asset management of the plants, as well as the direct sale of clean energy.
www.goldbecksolar.com
About GP JOULE EPC NA
The Joffre project is being constructed by Canadian EPC, GP Joule NA.
GP JOULE PV Canada Corp. and GP JOULE PV USA Inc. were subsidiaries of the Germany- based GP JOULE Group until 09/09/2022 when they were purchased by GOLDBECK SOLAR. The vertically integrated EPC company supplies turnkey PV and energy storage power plants with proprietary single axis tracking and fixed tilt racking systems. With more than 200 MWp of projects built in Canada and the northern US states over the past 10 years, GP JOULE EPC NA specialises in servicing utilities and C&I clients. Founded in 2011, the company is headquartered in Toronto, ON, has had a presence in Calgary, AB since 2016, and most recently established a location in Halifax, NS in 2022. Its US satellite office is located in Los Gatos, CA.