Irish renewable energy company DP Energy has completed the sale of North America's biggest urban solar project, Saamis Solar Park, to the City of Medicine Hat in Alberta in Canada.
The transfer was approved by Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC) which has enabled the City to finalise the acquisition of the 325MW project.
DP Energy - which is based in Buttevant, Co Cork - develops large renewable energy generation projects across the world.
Situated in the northwest of Canada's sunniest city, when fully built, Saamis Solar Park is expected to generate enough electricity to supply the equivalent of about 100,000 households and offset around 350,000 tonnes of carbon emissions a year.
With over 600,000 solar panels, Saamis Solar Park will create a significant number of direct employment opportunities during the construction, operation, and decommissioning phases, as well as extensive indirect opportunities across the full supply chain.
DP Energy's development portfolio in Canada includes a range of solar, onshore wind, storage and offshore wind projects across the country, including the 400MW Nova East Wind project, a joint venture with SBM Offshore targeted as being Canada's first offshore wind project.
The company currently has a 4.5GW pipeline of renewable energy projects across Ireland, the UK, Australia and Canada, while it is also now active in Southern Africa.
It recently secured approval approval from the Australian Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment & Water, for the Callide Wind Farm in Queensland - a renewable energy project with a capacity of 430MW.
In Ireland, DP Energy has an immediate pipeline of projects including the Aries Wind Farm, which is located in Co Mayo and which has a potential capacity for up to 40MW, additional early-stage wind farms and a growing portfolio of solar projects in the 20MW to 70MW range.
Damian Bettles, DP Energy's Head of Development Canada, said that as the largest urban solar development in North America, Saamis Solar Park is a project we are proud to have developed.
"With the sale to the City of Medicine Hat, it adds a dual aspect to the success story. Not only is it a productive use of a large area of contaminated land, it now also has the potential to contribute to the City's energy transition to clean, renewable power," he added.
