IKEA Canada has acquired its second wind farm in Alberta, purchasing the 88 MW Wintering Hills facility near Drumheller for approximately $119.6 million.

The furniture retailer — which purchased a 48 MW wind farm near Pincher Creek in 2013 — has vowed to become globally “energy independent” by 2020. The Wintering Hills facility, which was jointly owned by TransAlta Corporation and Teck Resources Ltd., consists of 55 turbines and has the ability to generate 275 million kWh of energy — the equivalent to the electricity consumption of 54 IKEA stores.

Together with its Pincher Creek wind farm, IKEA now has the ability to produce more than four times the amount of energy its operations consume in Canada.

“We are committed to having a positive impact on people and the planet,” saidBrendan Seale, Sustainability Manager, IKEA Canada. “This investment in renewable energy supports our business and moves us closer to our global ambition to produce more renewable energy than we consume by 2020.”

Since 2009, the IKEA Group has investedEUR 1.5 billionin renewable energy and has committed an additionalEUR 600 millionfor investments in wind and solar.  

The Wintering Hills wind farm was built in 2010-11 as a joint venture project between Suncor Energy and Teck Resources. TransAlta acquired Suncor’s stake in the project in 2015.