South Canoe Wind Farm: High Voltage O&M

Alex Ross
Jan 19
2 min read

Location: New Ross, Nova Scotia

Sector: Wind Energy / Renewable Power

Services: O&M Electrical Support

Project Overview

The South Canoe Wind Farm is one of Nova Scotia’s largest renewable energy projects, featuring 34 turbines that provide 100MW of clean energy to thousands of homes. To maintain peak performance and grid reliability, Highmark Power has been contracted to provide specialized electrical scope and Operations & Maintenance (O&M) support. Our team focuses on the critical high-voltage infrastructure that connects the generation assets to the provincial grid.

The Challenge

In a large-scale wind environment, underground cabling and connector components are subject to significant thermal cycling and environmental stress. Maintaining the integrity of the collector system is vital to preventing downtime. Highmark Power was engaged to address specific component fatigue and perform repairs to ensure the farm’s continued power production.

Our Approach

Highmark Power provides a responsive and technical approach to the wind farm’s medium and high-voltage needs. Our work has evolved through multiple phases of maintenance and system upgrades:

Load Break Elbow Replacement: During initial maintenance intervals, our team executed a systematic replacement of load break elbows across the collector system to mitigate the risk of flashovers and connector failure.
HV Cable Splicing & Repair: Most recently, Highmark Power was called upon to perform precision high-voltage cable splicing. This involved removing faulted sections of the HV collector cable, performing specialized splicing to restore circuit continuity, and installing new, high-performance load break elbows.
O&M Integration: Working closely with the site’s operations team, we ensure all electrical work is performed with minimal impact on turbine availability, adhering to the highest safety standards for wind farm environments.

Project Highlights

Critical Infrastructure Support: Ensuring the reliability of Nova Scotia’s largest wind farm through expert HV interventions.
Specialized Technical Skillset: Execution of complex HV cable splicing and terminations in the field.
Proactive Maintenance: Identifying and replacing aging components before they lead to catastrophic system failure.
Local Expertise: Providing New Ross and the surrounding region with specialized high-voltage services.

Impact

Through Highmark Power’s ongoing O&M support, the South Canoe Wind Farm has maintained a robust electrical collector system. Our recent cable splicing and elbow replacements have restored circuit integrity, reducing the risk of unplanned outages and ensuring the farm continues to meet its renewable energy production targets for the Nova Scotia grid.