CS Wind expected to start production by August of 2011, so the work of transforming the land, buildings and rail line will begin almost immediately, said Francis. Workers will also be hired and trained in the coming months, officials said.

Samsung officials have said they will be hiring welders, painters and machinists who will earn wages in the range of $18 to $20 an hour. The facility is expected to open in September 2011 and produce between 200 and 300 wind turbines a year.

Last year, Samsung signed a $7.5-billion energy deal with the province in exchange for incentives to triple Ontario's renewable wind and solar energy generation. At the time, Samsung said the deal would result in the world's largest wind and solar energy cluster.

The company agreed to open four manufacturing plants by 2015 and create 16,000 direct and indirect jobs in green energy.