Canadian Solar Completes Purchase of Two Solar Power Projects Totaling 24 MW (DC) from SunEdison

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Dec 28, 2012, 05:30 ET

TORONTO and GUELPH, Canada, Dec. 28, 2012 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Canadian Solar Inc. (the "Company", or "Canadian Solar") (NASDAQ: CSIQ), one of the world's largest solar companies, and SunEdison Power Canada Inc. ("SunEdison"), a subsidiary of MEMC Electronic Materials, Inc., today announced that they have completed a purchase and sale transaction wherein Canadian Solar's direct subsidiary Canadian Solar Solutions Inc. has acquired a majority interest in two utility-scale solar power projects in Ontario with a total capacity of approximately 24 MW DC. Subject to certain contractual conditions, Canadian Solar has the ability to complete a purchase of two additional utility-scale solar power projects in Ontario with a total capacity of approximately 22.5 MW DC, and an option to purchase a fifth solar project at a later date from SunEdison. Each of the five solar power projects was awarded a 20-year power purchase contract (a "FIT Contract") by the Ontario Power Authority under Ontario's Feed-In-Tariff Program (FIT version 1.0). The two projects purchased have each received Renewal Energy Approvals and are expected to commence construction in early 2013 and be fully operational by late 2013. The remaining solar energy projects are in the advanced permitting stage and are expected to commence construction in early to mid-2013 and be fully operational by late 2013 and early 2014.

The aggregate transaction price is approximately C$37 million (US$ 38 million) payable in accordance with certain milestones. The completion of the transaction also brings a settlement to litigation proceedings between Canadian Solar and SunEdison commenced in the Ontario courts in October 2011.

"We are very pleased to announce this transaction with SunEdison which further demonstrates Canadian Solar's ongoing investment and commitment to the Ontario solar energy market, and continues Canadian Solar's growth of its global solar project portfolio and higher margin total solutions business," said Dr. Shawn Qu, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer at Canadian Solar. "Each of these four solar projects will create and sustain green jobs in Ontario and will generate clean, renewable energy for decades to come."

About the Feed-in-Tariff Program (FIT)

Ontario's Feed-In-Tariff (FIT) program for renewable energy generation is a cornerstone of the province's Green Energy Act. Under the program, participants are paid a fixed-price for the electricity they generate over a 20 year contract period. For more information, visit http://fit.powerauthority.on.ca.

About Canadian Solar

Canadian Solar Inc. (NASDAQ: CSIQ) is one of the world's largest solar companies. As a leading vertically integrated provider of ingot, wafer, solar cell, solar module and other solar applications, Canadian Solar designs, manufactures and delivers solar products and solar system solutions for on-grid and off-grid use to customers worldwide. With operations in North America, Europe, Africa, Australia, and Asia, Canadian Solar provides premium quality, cost-effective and environmentally-friendly solar solutions to support global, sustainable development. For more information, please visit canadiansolar.com.

About SunEdison

SunEdison is a global provider of solar-energy services. The company develops finances, installs and operates distributed power plants using proven photovoltaic technologies, delivering fully managed, and predictably priced solar energy services for its commercial, government and utility customers. In 2011 SunEdison interconnected approximately 300 Megawatts of solar throughout the world. For more information about SunEdison, please visit www.sunedison.com.

Safe Harbor/Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this press release are forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially. These statements are made under the "Safe Harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by such terms as "believes," "expects," "anticipates," "intends," "estimates," the negative of these terms, or other comparable terminology. Factors that could cause actual results to differ include the risks regarding the previously disclosed SEC investigation as well as general business and economic conditions and the state of the solar industry; governmental support for the deployment of solar power; future available supplies of high-purity silicon; demand for end-use products by consumers and inventory levels of such products in the supply chain; changes in demand from significant customers; changes in demand in the Canadian markets; changes in customer order patterns; capacity utilization; pricing pressure and declines in average selling prices; delays in utility-scale project approval process; delays in utility-scale project construction; shortage in supply of materials or capacity requirements; availability of financing; exchange rate fluctuations; litigation and other risks as described in the Company's SEC filings, including its annual report on Form 20-F filed on April 27, 2012. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in the forward looking statements are reasonable, it cannot guarantee future results, level of activity, performance, or achievements. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. All information provided in this press release is as of today's date, unless otherwise stated, and Canadian Solar undertakes no duty to update such information, except as required under applicable law.

SOURCE Canadian Solar Inc.