$100M solar project completed on budget and on schedule in Nanticoke

By Jillian Zynomirski

The Haldimand Press

NANTICOKE—Ontario Power Generation (OPG), in partnership with the Six Nations of the Grand River Development Corporation and the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, has completed its first-ever 44-megawatt solar facility at the former Nanticoke Generating Station site.

Construction on the solar facility, which encompasses 192,431 solar panels (measuring one metre by two metres) spanning across 260 acres, is now complete and opened on March 29, 2019.

“This was OPG’s first solar installation, so it is a big learning experience for our organization,” said Matt Sikstrom, Project Manager for Nanticoke Solar. “However, we worked with very experienced contractors.”

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Three major steps were involved in the solar farm’s construction:

1. Access roads were built for trucks and equipment to safely enter in and out of the site. Fencing was installed around the grounds for safety and security purposes.
2. More than 20,000 helical piles – long, steel anchors – were sunk two-metres deep in the ground. Metal racking was then installed onto this solid foundation.
3. Thousands of photovoltaic panels, with an average rating of 345 watts, were mounted onto the racks. The panels used at Nanticoke Solar are fixed in place and don’t move to track the sun. Electrical equipment required to connect these panels to the provincial grid – things like transformers, breakers, AC-DC investors, and protection and control equipment – have also been installed.