Endurance Wind Power of Surrey, B.C., has bought some of the assets of wind turbine maker Seaforth Energy and opened a regional office and service centre in the Nova Scotian startup’s former base of Dartmouth.
The buyer, one of the world's leading manufacturers of wind turbines for local power generation, issued a statement late Thursday announcing the opening of the office. Former Seaforth CEO Mike Morris, who joined the company in late 2012, has become Endurance's General Manager for Eastern North America.
The company is now growing its local staff and is installing products in Nova Scotia. The release said Endurance expects to complete the installation of the first three Endurance E3120 wind turbines in Pictou County under the Nova Scotia ComFiT program. ComFIT helps community groups erect wind turbines for local power generation.
"As a Canadian company building wind turbines in Canada, we are thrilled to be selling them in Canada, too,” said Endurance Wind Power CEO Glenn Johnson in the statement. “Nova Scotia is an important growth market for us. Having proven our design and commercial success internationally, opening a new office in the Maritimes feels a bit like a home-coming."
The company now has five employees in Dartmouth and expects to expand to seven by the end of the year.
It’s an improvement from the previous 12 months.
Seaforth laid almost all its staff off in the past year as it negotiated the sale and came to terms with creditors owed more than $4 million dollars. The debt includes $2 million owed to the Nova Scotia Economic and Rural Development and Tourism Department and $954,000 to the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency. The company also had received $2 million in equity investment from Innovacorp.
The Chronicle-Herald reported in August that court papers showed Seaforth had contacted more than 15 potential investors or buyers and found that Endurance Wind Power was the only interested buyer.
Endurance said it provided financial backing to Seaforth during this period, helping the company complete outstanding obligations to several Nova Scotia community groups.
“While Endurance cannot provide warranty cover for AOC equipment, Endurance will make available Seaforth Energy’s stock of parts and is pleased to offer service and maintenance programs to Seaforth customers,” said the statement.
Endurance has sold over 750 wind turbines worldwide and estimates it has a 75 percent share of the U.K. small wind market for 50 to 100 kW machines. Endurance operates factories in Surrey and Worcestershire, U.K., and employs 150 people worldwide.