TORONTO (CP) -- Trillium Power Wind Corp., a Toronto-based alternative energy developer, announced Thursday the launch of a consortium to build wind-power turbines and equipment in Canada.
The Tai Wind Consortium project, which will focus on wind turbines for offshore use, "is the first step in establishing a sustainable, long-term, global green-collar manufacturing economy," Trillium president and CEO John Kourtoff said.
The announcement comes on the heels of the Ontario government's recent lifting of the deferral of off-shore wind development in the province.
Ontario, said Kourtoff, now has "the potential to be transformed into the world's leading manufacturer of renewable energy generation equipment and help set the stage for a green revolution in our economy."
This is especially important, he said, given the signs that Ontario's economy is slowing down, as this project has the potential of creating thousands of jobs to replace those being lost in the manufacturing sector.
Kourtoff said the project is the product of decades of research and nearly two years of negotiations, involving alternative industry groups, government officials and environmental researchers.
The Tai Wind Consortium will lend support to Trillium Power's proposed 750-megawatt offshore project in Lake Ontario, approximately 20 kilometres southeast of Prince Edward County -- a picturesque recreational area near Belleville, Ont.
The project, said Kourtoff, will power up to 300,000 Ontario homes and reduce carbon emissions by three million tonnes a year compared to coal generation.
It will also eliminate the consumption of 4.9 billion litres of water a year used for conventional power generation, he said.
Fossil fuel supplies are dwindling, said Kourtoff, and the energy they produce is "expensive, dirty, and can consume large amounts of water.
"The world is rapidly embracing various forms of renewable energy such as wind power, and especially consistent and stronger power from offshore wind, and Ontario has the offshore wind resources, facilities, work force and innovative spirit to bring it to the world."
"Tai Wind can lead the way in building the foundation of a fully integrated green-collar economy," he said.
The Tai Wind Consortium is a partnership led by Trillium Power Wind Corp. and includes other offshore wind developers in the United States with several more in discussion to join.
