Greentech Lead America: Samsung Renewable Energy has formed partnership with Canadian Solar to open a new manufacturing facility in London, Ontario.
This plant will bring 200 local manufacturing jobs to London by the end of 2013, as promised in the Green Energy Investment Agreement (GEIA) between Samsung and the Government of Ontario. In total, Samsung’s GEIA project will create 9,000 renewable energy jobs across the province, the company said.
The facility will produce solar PV Modules and Medium Voltage Power Stations. This plant will supply Samsung’s Ontario solar projects, such as the 100 megawatt (MW) Grand Renewable Energy Park in Haldimand County, the 100 MW Sol-Luce Kingston Solar PV project in Kingston and Loyalist Township, and future solar projects within the GEIA.
The new facility will also be a hub for Canadian Solar to conduct research and product development associated with solar energy generation.
The Canadian Solar plant also ensures Samsung can move forward with engineering, procurement and construction jobs in its project communities around Ontario.
“Samsung believes that renewable energy is a very important part of eliminating our dependence on dirty coal production and protecting the air that we breathe,” says Ki-Jung Kim, executive vice president of Samsung C&T. “We are very pleased to create 200 green jobs in London and 9,000 total jobs in communities across Ontario that have been hit hard by the global recession.”
Samsung and its partners will develop 300 MW of clean, renewable solar power in Ontario, part of a commitment to invest $5-billion in the development of 1,369 MW of renewable energy.
Canadian Solar becomes Samsung’s fourth renewable energy manufacturing partner in Ontario, joining Siemens in Tillsonburg, CS Wind in Windsor, and SMA in Toronto. Together, the four manufacturing facilities will employ 900 manufacturing workers. Samsung will support all of its manufacturing partners’ efforts to develop export markets beyond the GEIA project.
In addition to the recently announced 100 MW AC Grand Renewable Energy Park in Haldimand County which is expected to start construction in August, the London manufacturing facility will supply modules to two Solar PV projects in Kingston and Loyalist Township totaling approximately 100MW AC each.
These two solar projects are expected to start construction in 2014 following the renewable energy approval process. In total, the three solar power projects represent 300MW AC, equivalent to approximately 400 MW DC.