Canadian Solar Inc. and SunEdison Power Canada Inc., a subsidiary of MEMC Electronic Materials, Inc., today announced that they have completed a purchase and sale transaction wherein Canadian Solar's direct subsidiary Canadian Solar Solutions Inc. has acquired a majority interest in two utility-scale solar power projects in Ontario with a total capacity of approximately 24MW DC.
Subject to certain contractual conditions, Canadian Solar has the ability to complete a purchase of two additional utility-scale solar power projects in Ontario with a total capacity of approximately 22.5MW DC, and an option to purchase a fifth solar project at a later date from SunEdison. Each of the five solar power projects was awarded a 20-year power purchase contract (a FiT Contract) by the Ontario Power Authority under Ontario's Feed-In-Tariff Program (FIT version 1.0). The two projects purchased have each received Renewal Energy Approvals and are expected to commence construction in early 2013 and be fully operational by late 2013. The remaining solar energy projects are in the advanced permitting stage and are expected to commence construction in early to mid-2013 and be fully operational by late 2013 and early 2014.
The aggregate transaction price is approximately C$37 million (US$ 38 million) payable in accordance with certain milestones. The completion of the transaction also brings a settlement to litigation proceedings between Canadian Solar and SunEdison commenced in the Ontario courts in October 2011.
Ontario's Feed-In-Tariff (FIT) program for renewable energy generation is a cornerstone of the province's Green Energy Act. Under the program, participants are paid a fixed-price for the electricity they generate over a 20 year contract period. For more information, Read "Solar Energy in Canada."
