18 February 2025
By Elaine Murphy
elaine@TheCork.ie
Irish company DP Energy finalises sale of Saamis Solar Park to The City of Medicine Hat, Canada – DP Energy is headquartered in Buttevant, County Cork, and also has offices at Horgan’s Quay, Cork City and across the world
One of the largest urban solar developments in North America – The 325MW Saamis Solar Project in the City of Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada
DP Energy, an Irish company that develops large renewable energy generation projects in Canada and across the world, has completed the sale of North America’s largest urban solar project, Saamis Solar Park to the City of Medicine Hat in Alberta, Canada. The transfer was approved by Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC) which has enabled the City to finalise the acquisition of the 325MW project.
DP Energy secured the development rights to the site in 2017, then proceeded to obtain a Development Permit in 2021 and ultimately the necessary approval from the AUC in 2024 to construct and operate the project. With the transfer of the approval, the City of Medicine Hat has acquired a ‘ready-to-build’ solar project with all necessary planning and environmental approvals in place.
The City now intends to seek an amendment to allow it to construct the Saamis Solar Project in phases, with the first phase adding 75MW of additional generation to the City’s existing fleet of generating units.
Situated in the northwest of Canada’s sunniest city, when fully built, Saamis Solar Park is expected to generate enough electricity to supply the equivalent of approximately 100,000 households and offset around 350,000 tonnes of carbon emissions annually.
Home to more than 600,000 solar panels, Saamis Solar Park will create a significant number of direct employment opportunities during the construction, operation, and decommissioning phases, as well as extensive indirect opportunities across the full supply chain.
DP Energy’s development portfolio in Canada includes a range of solar, onshore wind, storage and offshore wind projects across the country, including the 400MW Nova East Wind project, a joint venture with SBM Offshore targeted as being Canada’s first offshore wind project.
Headquartered in Cork, and operating for over 30 years, DP Energy has enabled 1.6W of renewable energy generation through 22 significant infrastructure projects worldwide. Currently, DP Energy has a 4.5GW pipeline of renewable energy projects across Ireland, the UK, Australia and Canada. The Company is also now active in Southern Africa.
DP Energy was founded with a commitment to using the most sustainable and environmentally responsible methods in all its energy developments whilst also minimising impact on other species. This commitment remains at the core of the company’s activities today.
Damian Bettles, DP Energy’s Head of Development Canada, said: “As the largest urban solar development in North America, Saamis Solar Park is a project we are proud to have developed. With the sale to the City of Medicine Hat, it adds a dual aspect to the success story. Not only is it a productive use of a large area of contaminated land, it now also has the potential to contribute to the City’s energy transition to clean, renewable power. DP Energy are pleased to have worked with the City of Medicine Hat and with Viterra, owner of the development land, on this successful project and thank them both for their involvement.”
This announcement follows on the back of recent EPBC approval from the Australian Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment & Water, for the Callide Wind Farm located in Queensland, Australia, a DP Energy renewable energy project with a capacity of 430MW.
In Ireland, DP Energy has an immediate pipeline of projects including:
- Aries Wind Farm, located in Co. Mayo, with a potential capacity for up to 40MW
- Additional early-stage wind farms
- A growing portfolio of solar projects in the 20MW to 70MW range
- Early-stage projects involving non grid dependant renewable energy solutions for large energy users.
DP Energy continues to actively explore offshore renewable energy opportunities, including fixed bottom wind, floating wind and ocean energy technologies e.g. wave, around Ireland’s coast. Last year, the company also signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with a large utility generator to explore using green gasses to power existing and future electricity generating stations. DP Energy is researching battery storage and opportunities in international markets, aligning with an overall growth strategy which will see the company delivering projects in additional countries over the next few years.
Visit dpenergy.com to learn more about DP Energy