South Kent, expected online at the end of the year, is the first project of a planned 2GW of wind the partners are developing in Ontario under a controversial agreement between the provincial government and a Samsung-led consortium.
The 2.3 turbines will have 101-metre rotors and 93-metre hub heights. The project received financing earlier this month.
As part of the South Kent deal, Siemens is also creating its first Canadian service centre at Chatham, Ontario. In addition to storing parts, the centre will be used to train service technicians.
Although Siemens has been handed the deal, the manufacturing will be split between Samsung, Siemens and tower manufacturer CS Wind. All three companies have built or already had factories in the province under 50% local sourcing rules set out by the Ontario government.
The group pledged to invest C$7 billion (US$6.8 billion) over six years in renewable energy development and manufacturing in the Canadian province.
Last year, the WTO ruled against the Ontario-Samsung deal following a complaint from Japan, the US and the European Union that the local sourcing rules were discriminatory.
In December, Ontario's environmental review tribunal dismissed an appeal of the renewable energy approval for South Kent. The panel said the appellant, Chatham-Kent Wind Action Group, failed to show that the project would cause serious harm to human health.
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