From left to right: Jean Roy, Senior Vice President and COO of Kruger Energy; Jean-Guy Hamelin, Mayor of Saint-Michel; Bud Morris, President of KSE; Sylvie Gagnon-Breton, Mayor of Saint-Rémi.

 

Kruger Energy and Kahnawà:ke Sustainable Energies (KSE) today announced the start of the construction of the Des Cultures Wind Farm, a 24-MW project representing investments of approximately $70M, scheduled to be completed in the fall of 2021 in the municipalities of Saint-Rémi and Saint-Michel, in the Montérégie Region.

To mark the occasion, a sunrise blessing ceremony in keeping with Mohawk tradition was held at the break of day in the presence of Ms. Sylvie Gagnon-Breton, Mayor of Saint-Rémi; Mr. Jean-Guy Hamelin, Mayor of Saint-Michel; Ms. Barbara McComber, Interim CEO of Tewatohnhi’saktha, Kahnawà:ke’s Economic Development Commission; Mr. Bud Morris, President of KSE; and Mr. Jean Roy, Senior Vice President and COO of Kruger Energy; as well as other representatives from these organizations and the communities involved.

 

“This project exemplifies the perseverance and fortitude of an entire community that was determined to succeed despite many obstacles over the years,” said Bud Morris, President of Kahnawà:ke Sustainable Energies, which is an investing partner in the project. “This is a proud moment for all of us, and a testament to the power of working together to achieve sustainable development for the benefit of future generations.”

 

“We thrive on building new projects so we couldn’t be more excited to begin construction of our fourth wind farm,” said Jean Roy, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Kruger Energy which is in charge of construction and will be responsible for operating the Wind Farm. “On behalf of everyone at Kruger Energy, I would like to thank our partners at KSE, as well as the communities of Saint-Rémi and Saint-Michel who have once again welcomed us with open arms, thereby confirming the social acceptability of the project.”

 

Comprising six wind turbines to be erected on private farmland, the Des Cultures Wind Farm will provide significant economic benefits to local businesses, municipalities and landowners. These benefits could reach up to $15M over twenty years, including direct contributions to the municipalities of Saint-Rémi and Saint-Michel ($3.6M), lease payments to the landowners ($3.3M) and increased economic activity for local businesses (estimated to reach $5M to $8M).

In total, 60% of the project cost will be spent in Quebec, with at least 30% of the cost of the turbines spent in the Gaspésie region. During the construction, which will be carried out over the next year, 40 to 50 jobs will be created.

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From left to right: Lynn Jacobs, Kahnawà:ke Consultant, KSE; Greg Horn, Chairman, KSE; Jean Roy, Senior Vice President and COO of Kruger Energy; Stéphane Poirier, Consultant, KSE; Jean-Guy Hamelin, Mayor of Saint-Michel; Barbara McComber, President, Kahnawà:ke Economic Development Commission; Bud Morris, President of KSE; Sylvie Gagnon-Breton, Mayor of Saint-Rémi.