B2B Activity and Awards Highlight the 10th Quebec Wind Energy Conference

June 15, 2016

Over 250 participants from Canada, the United States and Europe attended the TechnoCentre éolien’s 10th Quebec Wind Energy Conference, June 13-15 in Matane, PQ.

Session topics addressed the energy transition currently underway around the world and its implications for the wind industry. The 20 or so guest speakers discussed exports, new markets, innovations, O&M, icing-prone climates, the role of communities in energy development, and wind turbine performance optimization.

Wind meetings are now recognized as the ultimate wind energy B2B activity. Companies, purchasers, suppliers, distributors and commercial partners gather to forge business links and enter into tangible contracts. At the 10th Quebec Wind Energy Conference, more than 250 organized business meetings were scheduled.

Organizations and individuals honoured at gala

During the event, the 5th Quebec Wind Energy Industry Gala presented by Siemens honoured organizations and individuals who have made particularly outstanding contributions to Quebec’s wind sector over the past two years.

The Ohmega Group Inc. made a splash by earning four of nine awards, including Enterprise of the Year for the diversity of automation and industrial computing solutions it offers to the wind sector. Active since the beginnings of Quebec’s wind industry, the company has enjoyed continuous growth in its field thanks to innovation and the development of new markets. The company also clinched the Service Enterprise award, as well as the Innovation category for having implemented an independent control centre for supervising and managing wind farm operation, a first in Canada.

Ohmega Group CEO Martin Boulay was recognized with the Personality of the Year award. A determined and inspirational visionary, Boulay is widely recognized within the wind industry for the availability and dedication he demonstrates toward his clients. Boulay also serves as Vice President of the Wind Energy Cluster and is involved in the caucus of the Association québécoise de la production d’énergie renouvelable (AQPER).

The Wind Farm Developer and Operator award was presented to Tugliq Energy, a Quebec company that orchestrated the installation of a wind turbine at the Raglan Mine in Quebec’s Far North. In the course of this project, TUGLIQ overcame significant challenges with regard to the construction and logistics of the installation.

Wind turbine manufacturer Senvion was crowned best Manufacturing Enterprise. Active around the globe, the company has become firmly established in Quebec in the past two years, where it has installed over 432 MW of wind power. Developing a new 3.2 MW turbine equipped with an anti-icing system for the Mesgi’g Ugju’s’n Wind Farm represents yet another milestone achievement for the company.

The Excellence in Human Resources award went to the Mesgi’g Ugju’s’n Wind Farm, owned by Innergex and the Mi’gmaq communities of the Gaspé Peninsula. Undertaken in 2015 and scheduled for commissioning in December 2016, this project will create 389 jobs, including 87 within the Mi’gmaq communities of the region.

The Mesgi’g Ugju’s’n project also made the spotlight when project director Terri Lynn Morrison was handed the award in the Rising Star category. Morrison successfully promoted the social acceptability of a project that was widely acknowledged as having a high degree of complexity. Through dialogue with all project stakeholders, she managed to raise awareness of job opportunities and create training initiatives for members of the Mi’gmaq communities.

Tribute award

The jury also wished to posthumously honour the contribution of Daniel Taillefer, who worked in the wind sector from 2001 to 2015. Throughout his career, Taillefer helped install over 200 towers in Quebec and around the world, travelling to such far-flung destinations as Vietnam and Gabon. He participated in the preliminary development stages of many wind projects and trained many individuals now active in the field.

Photo: Roger Mazerolle, TechnoCentre éolien.