Marmen Énergie restarts its wind tower manufacturing activities

350 MW PPAW Wind Energy Centre creates 100 tower construction jobs

MATANE, Québec. (September 16, 2024) – Marmen Énergie, Invenergy, the Alliance de l’énergie de l’Est and Vestas are pleased to announce a wind tower supply contract for the Pohénégamook–Picard–Saint-Antonin–Wolastokuk (PPAW) Wind Energy Centre that ensures the relaunch of Marmen Énergie’s wind tower manufacturing activities, in Matane, Quebec. Thanks to the PPAW contract, 100 jobs will be added to the twenty jobs that are still maintained at the Matane facility.

Selected by Hydro-Québec Distribution in 2023 as part of a call for tenders, the PPAW project will supply 350 MW of renewable energy to the Hydro-Québec grid by installing 56 Vestas’ Enventus V162-6.2 MW turbines on the ancestral territory of Wolastokuk and the Regional County Municipalities (RCM) of Rivière-du-Loup, Kamouraska, and Témiscouata. It is being developed in an equal partnership between Invenergy and the Alliance de l’énergie de l’Est and represents an investment of approximately $1 billion.

“We are pleased with the trust Vestas has placed in us to manufacture the 56 wind towers that will make up the PPAW wind project and are grateful for the leadership of Invenergy and the Alliance de l’énergie de l’Est, to increase the Quebec content of their project, without any local content requirements. Marmen is proud to provide the solution with the lowest possible environmental footprint for a project in Quebec,” said Marmen President Patrick Pellerin. “The 336 tower sections, to be delivered in 2025 and 2026, justify the resumption of operations at our plant and the hiring of 100 employees. This is excellent news for the community of Matane, which has long wanted to see our activities resume here.”

“Invenergy is proud to help lead the revival of the wind manufacturing chain in Quebec,” said Louis Robert, Vice President of Development, Renewable Energy at Invenergy. “Along with our strong partners at Vestas and Marmen, Invenergy and the Alliance de l’énergie de l’Est championed discussions to ensure that the wind turbine towers for this landmark project will be built here, on Quebec soil, in the Bas-Saint-Laurent region.”

In addition to playing a role in the 100 new manufacturing jobs at Marmen in Matane, the PPAW project will create 350 jobs during its construction and 23 permanent jobs during its 30 years of operation. Alliance de l’énergie de l’Est will also benefit from $137 million in distributions, and the project’s host RCMs will share $45 million in firm payments.

Michel Lagacé, President of the Alliance de l’énergie de l’Est, emphasized the regional development that occurs as a result of a partnership between a community organization and a renewable energy developer for projects like PPAW. “Our main interest is to maximize local and regional economic benefits, not only to create jobs during the construction and operation phases but also during the manufacturing of the wind turbines. This goal could not have taken shape without the willingness and openness of a private partner like Invenergy.”

“We’re thrilled to partner with Invenergy as they continue to expand their Canadian wind energy portfolio, and through our relationship with Marmen, we look forward to achieving meaningful economic development and job creation in the local community,” said Michael Perkins, Vice President, Procurement, Vestas North America. “This is a significant milestone towards achieving Quebec’s ambitious net zero goals, led by Hydro-Québec’s strategy of adding 10 GW of wind power generation by 2035, and is confirmation of our shared vision for a clean energy future.”

To ensure its commissioning in December 2026, the PPAW project plans to secure the necessary authorizations at the end of 2024, with construction scheduled to begin in 2025.

About Marmen

Marmen has international expertise in machining, manufacturing, assembly, design and engineering. The company is a manufacturing partner of choice for major OEMs in industries such as hydropower, wind power, nuclear power, gas and steam turbines, aviation, space, defense and military, oil and gas, and mining and steel. Marmen is also recognized as a pioneer in the wind energy industry in Quebec and as one of the largest wind tower manufacturers in North America. Marmen Énergie specializes in the manufacture of wind towers and the assembly of nacelles. Since 2005, its versatility and willingness to take on technical challenges have enabled it to respond to the need for speed and competitiveness in the Quebec and North American markets.

About Marmen Énergie

Marmen Énergie specializes in the manufacturing of wind towers and nacelle assembly. Since 2005, its versatility and willingness to take on technical challenges have enabled it to meet the demands for speed and competitiveness in the Quebec and North American markets.

About Invenergy

Invenergy is accelerating cleaner, more reliable, affordable energy. Invenergy and its affiliated companies develop, build, own, and operate large-scale renewable and other clean energy generation, transmission and storage facilities in the Americas, Europe, and Asia. Headquartered in Chicago, Invenergy has regional development offices in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Spain, Japan, Poland, and Scotland.

Invenergy and its affiliated companies have successfully developed more than 31,000 megawatts of projects that are in operation, construction or contracted, including wind, solar, transmission infrastructure and natural gas power generation and advanced energy storage projects.

About the Alliance de l’énergie de l’Est

Bringing together 209 municipalities and territories, from the Montmagny RCM to the Magdalen Islands, as well as the Wolastoqiyik Wahsipekuk First Nation, the Eastern Energy Alliance ensures the participation of the communities of Eastern Quebec in renewable electricity production projects on their territories.

The Alliance reflects the local desire to take control and increase its participation in the energy development of Eastern Quebec, thus providing the local community with the means to achieve its ambitions, while promoting better planning of the territory and its energy production and transportation infrastructure. It is this same vision that has allowed Eastern Quebec to stand out nationally as a leader in innovation, development, and the utilization of the collective wealth represented by renewable energies.

About Vestas

Vestas is the energy industry’s global partner on sustainable energy solutions. We design, manufacture, install, and service onshore and offshore wind turbines across the globe, and with more than 182 GW of wind turbines in 88 countries, we have installed more wind power than anyone else. Through our industry-leading smart data capabilities and unparalleled more than 151 GW of wind turbines under service, we use data to interpret, forecast, and exploit wind resources and deliver best-in-class wind power solutions. Together with our customers, Vestas’ more than 32,000 employees are bringing the world sustainable energy solutions to power a bright future.

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Contacts :

Marmen

Claude Mallick

claude.mallick@marmeninc.com

Alliance de l’énergie de l’Est

Clémence Beaulieu Gendron

cbeaulieugendron@tactconseil.ca

Invenergy

media@invenergy.com

Vestas

Matt Copeman

mtcoe@vestas.com