200 MW Onshore Wind Farm Reaches Commercial Operation In Canada

Apuiat Wind Farm L.P., a 50-50 partnership between the Innu communities and Boralex Inc., has announced that the 200 MW Apuiat Wind Farm has reached commercial operation. The facility is located on the Nitassinan (traditional territory) of the Uashat mak Mani-utenam First Nation. 

The wind project was initiated and co-developed by the Innu communities. It stands as their first national energy project and the first wind farm to be built in Québec’s Côte-Nord region. This project also symbolizes the revival of wind energy development in Québec, as it is the first large-scale wind project commissioned since 2018, and aligns closely with the province’s renewed energy ambitions. The wind farm consists of 34 Vestas V162 turbines, each with a capacity of 6 MW, making them the most powerful ever commissioned in Quebec. The electricity generated by the facility is sold to Hydro-Québec under a 30-year power purchase agreement. 

This project marks several historic milestones — it is the first national energy initiative involving the Innu people and the first wind farm ever constructed in the Côte-Nord region. Under the agreement, the Innu community will receive 50% of the project’s net profits over the next 30 years. In addition, annual royalties of CA$1 million (US$0.71 million) will be paid and equally distributed between Uashat mak Mani-utenam and the municipality of Port-Cartier.