Trillium to proceed with USD-2.15bn offshore wind case against Ontario

Nov 14, 2013 - Canadian offshore wind developer Trillium Power Wind Corp yesterday received the Court of Appeal’s nod to go ahead with an appeal against the Ontario government that seeks CAD 2.25 billion (USD 2.15bn/EUR 1.6bn) in damages.

Back in February 2011 the provincial government unveiled a moratorium on all near-shore, offshore and far-offshore wind projects, which coincided with a Trillium announcement on a CAD-26-million financing package for its projects in the Great Lakes. At the time, the developer had a project portfolio of 3,700 MW that included the 414-MW Trillium Power Wind 1 (TPW1) project in eastern Lake Ontario as well as Trillium Power Wind 2, The Great Lakes Array and The Superior Array far-offshore wind projects.

Among other accusations of "misfeasance in public office" by certain Ministries, Trillium claims that the moratorium was intended to affect the company’s finances in such a way that it would not have resources for legal battles. “We now have an opportunity to go forward and present our evidence and air the facts regarding the improper actions that were taken against us by the previous government,” president and chief executive John Kourtoff said in a statement on Wednesday.

The company is hopeful that it will be able to develop its TPW1 project.

(CAD 1 = USD 0.955/EUR 0.709)

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