The Mesgi’g Ugju’s’n windfarm, which means “big wind” in Mi’gmaq, is located on public land in the Avignon Regional County Municipality. The project was originally developed by the three Mi’gmaq communities in Quebec in early 2009. They then selected Innergex in 2012 as an experienced partner to build and operate the wind farm. The project, which was commissioned in December 2016, consists of the installation of 47 wind turbines with a total installed capacity of nearly 150 megawatts (MW). This means that the MU wind farm produces enough electricity to power approximately 30,000 homes.
The project developer is Mesgi’g Ugju’s’n (MU) WindFarm, L.P., a 50-50 partnership between the three Mi’gmaq communities in Quebec (Gesgapegiag, Gespeg and Listuguj) and Innergex, a Quebec company and a leader in the renewable energy sector.
The cost of this large-scale project is approximately $330 million; of which a minimum of 60% was invested in Quebec and 35% of the cost of the wind turbines came from the designated region, namely the Gaspe Peninsula and La Matanie Regional County Municipality. There was an emphasis on hiring Mi’gmaq and local workers throughout the construction and operation phases.
For more information, see www.muwindfarm.ca.