CanWEA welcomes Hydro-Québec's announcement of the winners of the call for
tenders for community and native wind farm projects

MONTRÉAL, Dec. 21 /CNW/ - The Canadian Wind Energy Association (CanWEA) welcomes the announcement of 12 new community and native wind farm projects in Quebec, totalling 291.4 MW.  These projects will generate nearly $1 billion of investments in Quebec's regions.

The wind energy industry, together with its municipal and community partners, is continuing to grow and develop in Quebec. "This is excellent news for the communities that will host these projects. Besides major investments, this announcement also ensures the creation of nearly 3,450 full-time jobs in Quebec by 2015," points out Robert Hornung, President of CanWEA.

The wind energy industry is very well established in Quebec and keeps expanding. CanWEA recently revealed its vision for the future development of wind farms in Quebec beyond 2015. "Quebec's wind energy potential is immense. We will have 4,000 MW installed by 2015, and we would like to see a further 8,000 MW added to that goal between 2016 and 2025. This would generate over 91,000 jobs, investments of more than $25 billion, and nearly $95 million in annual spin-offs in the communities in the long term," adds Mr. Hornung.

CanWEA stresses the fact that more wind megawatts need to be allocated in order to reach the goal set by the Quebec government's energy strategy. "We are asking the Quebec government to move quickly to draw up a complete inventory of these "orphan" megawatts and launch a new procurement process to ensure that the objective of 4,000 MW will be met in 2015, which will enable Quebec to benefit from this 100% renewable form of energy as well as the investments and jobs that come with it," concludes Mr. Hornung.

About CanWEA: CanWEA is the voice of Canada's wind energy industry, actively promoting the responsible and sustainable growth of wind energy on behalf of its 450 members. A national non-profit association, CanWEA serves as Canada's leading source of credible information about wind energy and its social, economic and environmental benefits. The document WindVision 2025: A Strategy for Quebec is available at: http://www.canwea.ca/pdf/canwea-quebec-windvision-e-web-final.pdf

For further information:

Jean-François Nolet, 514-244-8888