VANCOUVER (miningweekly.com) – Scandinavian furniture and furnishings company Ikea Canada has bought a second wind farm in Alberta as part of its global ambition to match its electricity consumption with renewable energy production by 2020.
Ikea will acquire an 88 MW wind farm located near Drumheller, about 130 km east of Calgary. Consisting of 55 turbines, the Wintering Hills wind farm will generate 275-million kilowatt hours of energy.
Diversified miner Teck Resources, which owns 49% of the operation, said on Thursday it would receive C$58.6-million of its share in Wintering Hills wind farm, while 51%-owner TransAlta separately said it would receive about C$61-million.
Ikea in 2013 bought a 46 MW wind farm in Pincher Creek, Alberta.
In a statement to Mining Weekly Online, the company said that since 2009, the Ikea Group had invested €1.5-billion in renewable energy and committed an additional €600-million for investments in wind and solar. The company recently announced a financial framework of €1-billion to secure a long-term supply of sustainable materials by investing in forestry, as well as companies active in recycling, renewable energy development and biomaterial developments.