Samsung And Pattern Development Start Operations At North Kent Wind Power Facility In Ontario

100 MW wind energy facility to power 35,000 homes annually and generate $40 million in economic benefits to Chatham-Kent economy over the life of the facility

Chatham, ON /PRNewswire/ - Samsung Renewable Energy Inc. (Samsung) and Pattern Energy Group LP (Pattern Development) today announced that North Kent Wind, a 100 megawatt (MW) wind power facility located in the Municipality of Chatham-Kent, has completed construction and is fully operational.

"Samsung is proud to complete its sixth wind project under our Green Energy Investment Agreement with the government of Ontario," said Eskay Lee, Vice President, Samsung C&T. "Samsung and its partners have created jobs and invested in the community, benefiting real people in Chatham-Kent and across the province."

"North Kent Wind marks our sixth operational wind power facility in Ontario, totaling more than one gigawatt of capacity, enough to power more than 400,000 homes each year," said Mike Garland, President and CEO of Pattern Development. "North Kent Wind was built entirely by Ontario workers and is generating substantial economic benefits in the Municipality of Chatham-Kent by injecting more than $40 million in direct spending into the local economy over the next 20 years."

North Kent Wind is utilizing 34 Siemens Gamesa 3.2 MW wind turbines with towers and blades that were made in Ontario. During the peak of construction activity, North Kent Wind employed approximately 175 skilled workers, 100% of which were from Ontario, with the majority from the local area. The facility has approximately ten permanent employees for ongoing operations and maintenance, in addition to utilizing a number of local contractors.

Samsung and Pattern Development, as part of their commitment to make a positive impact in project area communities, are providing $4 million to the Municipality of Chatham-Kent as a community benefit contribution to be used at the sole discretion of Municipal Council. In addition, the facility is estimated to generate approximately $5 million in tax revenue over 20 years. In total, North Kent Wind will inject more than $40 million of direct spending into the local economy over 20 years, including taxes, community benefits, landowner payments, and facility spending.

The Municipality of Chatham-Kent also holds a 15% equity interest in North Kent Wind through its affiliate Entegrus Renewable Energy Inc. Bkejwanong First Nation, also known as Walpole Island First Nation, also holds a 15% equity interest in North Kent Wind.

The 100 MW North Kent Wind facility is expected to generate enough clean energy to meet the electricity needs of approximately 35,000 Ontario homes annually, based on average annual residential energy use in Ontario. The facility operates under a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO).

About Samsung Renewable Energy Inc.
Samsung Renewable Energy is creating clean, renewable energy for generations to come. Together with our partners, Samsung made a $5-billion investment in Ontario to create the world's largest cluster of wind and solar power. Our investments created 900 direct renewable energy manufacturing jobs and 9,000 high-skilled jobs in Ontario. Samsung and its partners provided much-needed jobs in communities throughout Ontario, including manufacturing facilities in Windsor, Tillsonburg, Toronto and London. Built on Samsung C&T's commercial and technical expertise and the success of its renewable energy projects in several countries – including the United States and Canada – Samsung is creating real jobs, through real investment, benefiting real people.

About Pattern Development
Pattern Development is a leader in developing renewable energy and transmission assets. With a long history in wind energy, Pattern Development's highly-experienced team has developed, financed and placed into operation more than 5,000 MW of wind and solar power projects. A strong commitment to promoting environmental stewardship drives the company's dedication in working closely with communities to create renewable energy projects. Pattern Development has offices in San Francisco, San Diego, Houston, New York, Toronto, Mexico City, Santiago, Chile, and Tokyo, Japan. For more information, visit www.patterndev.com.