- Renewable power purchased from BluEarth Hand Hills Wind Project near Drumheller, AB
- Anticipated commercial start up in spring 2023
According to the company’s website press release on March 22, 2023, NOVA Chemicals Corporation (“NOVA Chemicals”), announced today that it has signed a long-term Virtual Power Purchase Agreement (“VPPA”) with Shell Energy North America (Canada), Inc. (“Shell Energy”) to purchase 20 MW of renewable power and associated emissions offsets beginning in spring 2023. The power will be produced by BluEarth Renewables Inc. (“BluEarth”) at its Hand Hills Wind Project near Drumheller, Alberta upon the project’s commercial operation.
As a North American leader in sustainable polyethylene production, we are focused on driving immediate and longer-term decarbonization of our assets to align with global ambitions of being net-zero by 2050,” said Rocky Vermani, NOVA Chemicals’ Senior Vice President of Supply Chain, Procurement, and Innovation. “More than ever, collaborative projects like this agreement – that span across the value chain – will be critical to achieve our environmental and sustainability goals as we work to protect health, safety, security, and the environment for ourselves and for future generations.”
BluEarth’s Hand Hills Wind Project broke ground in central Alberta in early 2022 and will feature 29 turbines across 12,000 acres of privately owned land. The 145 MW project will generate enough clean, renewable energy to power the equivalent of approximately 68,000 Alberta homes annually.
“We are grateful to Shell Energy for our continued relationship and are pleased that NOVA Chemicals will be able to benefit from the clean, renewable power produced by our Hand Hills Wind Facility,” said Grant Arnold, President & CEO of BluEarth Renewables. “Projects like Hand Hills are a great example of how renewable energy presents a cost-competitive way to generate power while helping companies reach their ESG targets.”
The agreement with Shell Energy is a key initial step in NOVA Chemicals’ decarbonization roadmap and demonstrates the company’s commitment to reducing its Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 30 per centby 2030 through initiatives like using low carbon, renewable energy to power its facilities. The roadmap is built upon the organization’s strong foundation in Responsible Care® and its historical environmental performance, including achieving a more than 30 per cent improvement in GHG emissions intensity despite a 63 per cent increase in production between 1999 and 2020.
