A subsidiary of Ontario-based Canadian Solar has started construction of the Grand Renewable Solar Project, a 100-megawatt (MW) utility-scale solar farm, located in Canada’s Haldimand County.
The plant, which is expected to be fully operational by 2015, is being developed by Samsung Renewable Energy, a subsidiary of the electronics manufacturer. It is being financed by asset manager Connor, Clark & Lunn Infrastructure.
Canadian Solar chairman and chief executive Shawn Qu said in a statement: “When completed, this will be Canada’s largest PV [photovoltaic] project ever built.”
The PV modules and Medium Voltage Power Stations needed will be manufactured in a new facility jointly owned by Canadian Solar and Samsung following a manufacturing agreement the two companies signed in June.
The facility, located in London, Ontario, will also supply other Samsung solar projects in the province, according to the statement.
Samsung is investing $5 billion in Ontario and has promised to deliver 1,369MW of clean power generation in the province, along with 9,000 direct and indirect jobs, and four manufacturing facilities in accordance with the agreement it originally signed with the government of Ontario in January 2010 and updated this past June.
Founded in 2001, Canadian Solar is a vertically-integrated provider of solar modules, specialised solar products and solar power plants with operations in the Americas, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Australia, and Asia.
Connor, Clark & Lunn Infrastructure, part of asset management firm Connor, Clark & Lunn Financial Group, invests in mid-market infrastructure and infrastructure-type assets. The firm’s affiliates collectively manage more than $46 billion in assets.