The first wind farm managed by a cooperative in Canada

Belle-Rivière Windfarm

The cooperative Val-Éo is made up of farmers, residents, and investors from Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean who have made it their mission to develop wind energy on members’ property and make it available to local communities. In partnership with Liberty Power, the cooperative developed its first wind farm project involving six four-megawatt turbines in Saint-Gédéon.

Our contribution? We helped the two partners design the required start-up electrical system in compliance with Hydro-Québec’s safety and reliability requirements. Our energy experts also helped the cooperative select the equipment and supervised connection of the wind farm to the Hydro-Québec grid.

With a height of 113 metres (370 feet) and a blade diameter of 127 metres (417 feet), the Belle-Rivière turbines are the largest in Quebec and can produce enough energy to heat 2,500 homes. In addition to contributing to green energy development for its community, Val-Éo has developed a collective wind turbine management model that is unique in Canada, inspiring other groups of Canadian farmers to adopt the idea.