With new solar and wind sites, Capstone Infrastructure is fueling Canada’s clean energy shift
In the two years since we last sat down with Capstone Infrastructure, the business has gone from strength to strength. With major wind farm sites nearing completion, and notable projects in the pipeline, Chief Executive Officer, David Eva, reveals more about the company’s continued success: “As an independent power producer, located in Toronto, we have coast to coast assets across Canada and the United States. In that capacity, we develop, construct, and own several renewable power plants.
“These have been very interesting times for the North American power industry, after a period of flat and even declining demand, we’re now experiencing a boom of activity. Here at Capstone, we’re able to provide electrical supply with low cost and low carbon emissions. 
“Last time we spoke, the company was in the midst of two new solar farms in Alberta. We’ve since completed the Buffalo Atlee Wind Farm in the summer of 2024.
“We recently commissioned yet another wind farm, which is a 192-Megawatt facility in South-East Alberta called Wild Rose 2 Wind. This is the largest wind farm project we’ve undertaken to date. It’s a really exciting time for us, as it shows greater investment into renewable energy production across the country.
“At the same time, our market activities are ramping up in several other places, including British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec, and even California. Managing all this growth has made for a very interesting and dynamic time in our sector.”
As a juggernaut of the renewable energy space, Capstone Infrastructure invests in a variety of sustainable energy sources. All its operating plants are based in Canada, and, with the completion of the Wild Rose 2 project on September 16th, has nearly 1.1 Gigawatts of network wide operating capacity. That capacity is currently spread across five technologies and six Canadian markets.
“Today, we operate in wind, solar, hydro, biomass, and natural gas energy production,” David continues. “We also have a growing pipeline of new projects, largely focussed on wind and solar energy, but also including some planned investment into battery storage solutions.”
The company has recently commissioned one of its largest wind farms to date. The 192-megawatt Wild Rose 2 wind farm in Cypress County, Alberta, marks a step up for the business in terms of scale and output. “Wild Rose 2 is our most significant ongoing project. The wind farm will play a major role in Canada’s renewable energy economy. It’s characterized by world-class wind resourcing technology and is ideally located for maximum yield. Based in the Canadian prairies, the Wild Rose 2 takes advantage of vast expanses of flatland. The project’s output is contracted through power purchase agreements with Pembina Pipeline and the City of Edmonton (the largest direct procurement of renewables by a Canadian municipality to date).
“The plant has now been successfully commissioned and we marked the occasion with a ribbon-cutting event with local officials, project stakeholders, and representatives from Pembina Pipeline and the City of Edmonton. We’re very excited to have the project live and operational, as it’s the culmination of years of hard work from almost everyone within the business.
“Luckily for us, there’s still plenty to look forward to. In late 2024, we were awarded three large contracts out in British Columbia. These are large-scale projects based in another Canadian province where we’ve seen a lot of activity over the last few years.
“We’ll be working on three more facilities including the Brewster, Highland Valley and Mount Mabel wind projects. On completion, their combined output will be around 537 Megawatts. With the ideal environment for Capstone Infrastructure, I’m confident these upcoming projects will be incredibly impactful to the country’s overall renewable energy output.”
The Wild Rose 2 Wind Farm project is part of a larger mission undertaken by Capstone Infrastructure in recent years. “In the southeast region of Alberta,” he continues, “we have another wind farm called Buffalo Atlee. It was completed in 2024 and stands out as one of our first landmark projects, allowing us to continue building across the province.
“Thanks to the success of Wind Rose 2, we’re now totalling five wind farms across Alberta in the last five years. The energy from these projects is mostly sold to large commercial, industrial, or municipal buyers based in Alberta.
“About half of Buffalo Altee’s output is sold under a power purchase agreement to Gibson Energy, and a high proportion of Wild Rose’s energy production will go to the Pembina Pipeline and City of Edmonton. In this way, Capstone is delivering on partnerships with companies and governments that enable them to reach climate and decarbonization goals.
“Seeing not only what our infrastructure is capable of producing, but where that energy goes and the ways in which it supports local communities, is highly motivating for the team here at Capstone Infrastructure. It’s heartening to see our work have such a tangible impact on the local environment and economy.”
Preserving surrounding environments and cultures is of absolute importance to Capstone Infrastructure and its team, as David asserts: “Our work with Indigenous communities has been a long-standing aspect of the business. We work closely with local community leaders to ensure they are always included in the projects we develop.
“We’ve worked hard to cultivate relationships with Indigenous people as an integral part of our overall mission. Over time, these bonds have evolved into successful partnerships, with many Indigenous communities being co-owners of the infrastructure we create.
“Ensuring that Indigenous communities hold significant equity in the projects we undertake has allowed us to find a sense of community in these places ourselves. As we only produce renewable energy infrastructure, these efforts have become part of a broader mission that seeks to work and exist in harmony with the land itself.
“We’ve been part of successful projects near Goulais River , Ontario, thanks to the co-operation and support of the Batchewana First Nation. We recently celebrated the ten-year anniversary of one of our first operational sites alongside people from their community. We’re proud to say it’s been a very successful and long-standing partnership, from which we have all benefited greatly.”
Maintaining balance and working for the benefit of local communities has helped support Capstone Infrastructure’s growth over the past 20 years. Looking ahead, David considers what’s next for the business. “In the last five years, we’ve succeeded in doubling our footprint. Our goal is to double that again by the end of the decade.
“We’ll manage growth through the expansion of assets, and ongoing partnerships across Canada and beyond. We’re extremely well positioned to deliver on new renewable energy projects that the energy transition requires to achieve a cleaner, carbon-neutral future,” he concludes.