Two Motor City Electric Co. (MCE) subsidiaries worked as the EPC (Engineering, Procurement, and Construction) electrical contractor for two new wind farms in Ontario, Canada. Owner Brookfield Renewable Energy Partners and general contractor Mortenson Canada Corp. awarded Motor City Electric Utilities Co. (MCEU) and Mid South Contractors ULC (MSC) the contracts for the Gosfield and Comber wind farms.

Gosfield-Comber Wind Farm

Location: Kingsville, Ontario

Role: EPC Electrical Contractor

Customer: Mortenson Canada

Wind Farm Size: 51MW

Turbines: 22 Siemens 2.3MW

Underground Collection: 15 miles

Overhead Collection: 5 miles

Collector Substation: 120-34.5kV

Other Services Performed: Turnkey design, procurement, construction & commissioning of 50MW substation, overhead & underground collection, turbine grounding, wiring, conduit, SCADA.

Electrical Value: $17.1 million

Timeframe: Oct. 2009, Oct. 2010

All power produced from the Gosfield facility is sold at a fixed price to the Ontario Power Authority under a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA).

COMBER WIND FARM

Location: Lakeshore, Ontario

Role: EPC Electrical Contractor

Customer: Mortenson Canada

Wind Farm Size: 166MW

Turbines: 72 Siemens 2.3MW

Underground Collection: 40 miles

Overhead Collection: 60 miles

Collector Substation: 230-34.5kV

Other Services Performed: Turnkey design, procurement, construction & commissioning of 50MW substation, overhead & underground collection, turbine grounding, wiring, conduit, SCADA.

Electrical Value: $43.4 million

Timeframe: Oct. 2010, Oct. 2011

All trades required design and construction coordination with the local utility Hydro One (HONI) for the substation and overhead collection work. This project faced complex construction challenges with a frigid winter, long rainy periods with muddy conditions, extreme heat spells, and windy days. Despite the variable weather, our project teams worked hard and kept Comber on budget and schedule.