A new study commissioned by the Canadian Wind Energy Association (CanWEA) and executed by the firm Hatch in collaboration with economist Jean-Claude Thibodeau shows wind energy’s promise in Quebec.

By 2015 the province will have 4,000 MW of wind power generating capacity, according to the study. This will mean $10 billion in new investments will come to Quebec.

The study determined that wind farm construction will create more than 37,000 jobs between 2005 and 2015. More precisely 5,210 jobs per year would be created between 2011 and 2015. In addition, nearly 1,400 permanent jobs will be created in the operation and maintenance of the wind farms by 2015. Finally, by 2015, landowners and municipalities will stand to earn up to $25 million in annual from these wind energy developments.

“With its growing wind energy manufacturing sector, and plans to install more than 600 MW of new wind energy projects annually for each of the next five years, Quebec has succeeded in making wind energy an engine of economic development,” said said Robert Hornung, president of CanWEA.

A second report, WindVision 2025: A Strategy for Quebec, urges Quebec to continue to develop wind power beyond 2015 and add an additional 8 000 MW by 2025. This new phase would generate $25 million in investments and would create 90 000 jobs during the construction phase as well as 4,500 permanent operations and maintenance jobs by 2025. The economic benefits for landowners and municipalities would climb to $95 million per year.

The CanWEA website had details on both the economic studies.