Pukwis Energy Co-op Director Brent Kopperson, Ontario Minister of Energy and Infrastructure Brad Duguid, and OSEA Executive Director Kris Stevens

“These projects are the latest accomplishments of the Green Energy Act which is making Ontario a place of destination for green energy development, manufacturing, and expertise. The investments generated by FIT will not only create green jobs, but will also build a coal-free legacy for future generations” - Brad Duguid Ontario Minister of Energy and Infrastructure

The first phase of the Pukwis Community Wind Park consists of 10 utility scale wind turbines with capacity of 2 Megawatts (MW) each. As part of the Ontario Feed-in-Tariff program, they will connect to the Ontario power grid and produce enough electricity to power 7,500 homes and displace 15,000 tonnes of green house gases annually.

“Today’s announcement comes after years of hard work but is just the beginning for community power in Ontario, Pukwis is a first of its kind project which will serves as an example of how diverse communities can come together to develop and own local renewable energy projects.” Brent Kopperson Executive Director Windfall Ecology Centre.

Pukwis Community Wind Park is located in the northern part of York Region on Georgina Island, which lies 1.5 kilometres off the South-Eastern shore of Lake Simcoe – an area known for its strong winds.

The Ontario Power Authority’s (OPA) Feed-in Tariff (FIT) Program is part of the Green Energy Act’s approach to renewable energy in Ontario. It is intended to encourage the development of community based renewable energy projects across the province. Owners of the projects will be paid a fixed price for the electricity they produce, allowing them to not only recover the costs of the projects, but earn a reasonable rate of return on their investment.

This ground breaking projects is made possible through partnerships with the Community Power Fund, Windfall Ecology Centre and the Chippewas of Georgina Island First Nation.