Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) on behalf of its Copenhagen Infrastructure IV (CI IV) fund has begun construction of a 495 MW wind farm on Buffalo Plains in Vulcan County, Alberta, Canada.
CIP acquired Buffalo Plains in 2022 from ABO Wind. Borea Construction has been entrusted with the responsibility of constructing the site. Seattle-based Amazon has inked a power purchase agreement to secure 415 MW of output from Buffalo Plains. Amazon will use the electricity to power its data centers in the region. The remaining 80 MW of output will be sold on the wholesale electricity market. The project is expected to be operational in December 2024.
The transaction received support from Norton Rose Fulbright and FIH Partners, assisting CIP in the process. Buffalo Plains marks CIP's second investment in Canada, following their involvement in Travers Solar, one of the country's largest solar projects, which reached completion in 2022.
The wind farm will consist of 83 Siemens Gamesa SGRE turbines with a rotor diameter of 145 m and a hub height of 95.5 m. The turbines will be installed on steel towers and will be connected to the grid via a new 12-15 km long transmission line.
