Northland Power Inc. (NPI-T) has announced CEO and president Mike Crawley will be leaving his positions in September as the company seeks new leadership.

Crawley, who has led the company since 2018, will remain in the dual roles until Sept. 30. John Brace, Northland’s CEO and president from 2003 to 2018, has been appointed executive chair to guide the company through its transition period.

The company has also named Ian Pearce, the chair of the governance and nominating committee, as its lead independent director.

“Northland is in a strong position thanks to Mike’s successful execution of our growth plan,” Brace said in a release.

He specified the securing of financing for three major projects that will increase Northland’s generating and storage capacity by over 70 per cent.

A global search for new leadership will be conducted, the release states.

Once a new head executive is in place, Brace will return as non-executive chair of the board, while Pearce will remain as the lead independent director, according to the release.

Northland’s projects

The Toronto-based renewable energy and natural gas company has seven projects under development around the world, with two in Canada.

Its Oneida Energy Storage Project in Jarvis, Ont. is a 250-megawatt battery energy storage system billed as Canada’s largest. It represents the company’s first strategic investment in battery energy storage, and Northland is the majority owner leading construction, financing and operations, according to the company’s website.

Partners on the project are NRStor Inc., the Six Nations of the Grand River Development Corporation and Aecon (ARE-T).

The Oneida project is scheduled for completion in 2025. Greenhouse gas emissions reductions generated by the facility are projected to be between 2.2 million tonnes to 4.1 million tonnes.

In Cypress County, Alta., Northland is developing Jurassic Solar+, a 220-megawatt solar energy project paired with an 80-megawatt battery.

Jurassic Solar+ will be located on approximately 1,170 acres, according to its website, and comprise approximately 486,000 solar photovoltaic modules. The project will power over 60,000 homes and offset 137,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions per year, the site adds.

Outside of Canada, Northland is developing or partnering on:

• A solar project and an onshore wind project in New York state;
• an offshore wind farm in Poland;
• a Scottish offshore wind farm; and
• an offshore wind farm in Taiwan.

Construction on the Oneida project and the wind farms in Poland and Taiwan are progressing as expected, and Northland’s financial guidance and outlook remain unchanged, the release adds.

Northland’s project pipeline is approximately 12 gigawatts, according to its 2023 Annual Report.