German solar company Q-Cells
SE (QCE.DE) and manufacturing specialists ATS Automation Tooling Systems Inc. (TSX: ATA) have established a joint venture for the
development of large scale renewable energy projects in Ontario.
ATS and Q-Cells each hold a 50% interest in the project development company Ontario Solar PV
Fields Inc., which received conditional Feed-In-Tariff (FIT) contracts from the Ontario Power Authority
(OPA) in April for seven Ontario ground mounted projects totaling 64 megawatts (MW).
The projects
represent approximately 10% of the 650 MW of ground mounted solar projects awarded throughout
the province and are expected to begin construction in 2011 and beyond.
ATS and Q-Cells will both contribute project development, engineering-procurement-construction (EPC)
and related services to the venture. The partnership will utilize domestic content modules supplied by
Photowatt Ontario with Q-Cells solar cells.
The partnership will draw on ATS’s local solar expertise as an Ontario-headquartered company and parent of Photowatt.
The Q-Cells Group is one of the world’s leading
photovoltaic companies and global solar integrator with project experience in Ontario.
“The Ontario market is projected to be one of the dominant solar markets in North America in 2011,”
said Marc van Gerven, Q-Cells North American CEO. “This partnership is an excellent
fit with our internationalization strategy by bringing together the global solar expertise of Q-Cells with
leading local partners in the industry such as ATS”.
