Proposed solar play near Oyen is biggest applied for since UCP’s moratorium ended

By Medicine Hat News on September 24, 2024.

@MedicineHatNews

A new solar project near Oyen is the largest put before regulators since a provincial moratorium on renewable approvals ended last winter with new rules for developers.

Oyen 1 Solar would comprise almost 700,000 panels over 1,450 acres of privately owned land located about 13 kilometres north of the town, near Highway 41, in Special Areas No. 3.

UK Solar East Ltd., submitted its plan to the Alberta Utilities Commission on Sept. 13 to build the 400-megawatt capacity power facility. If approved the company hopes to begin construction next September and be in operation in March 2027.

It would also build a substation to shunt the power on to the Atco transmission system.

UK Solar East is a subsidiary of Universal Kraft, which operates in Canada, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

Brooks urban array

A public feedback process on an application to build a solar array on land bordering a residential neighbourhood in Brooks is now underway.

“Salt Flats Solar” would see an array built on 175 acres on the west side of the city, bordering the land it the County of Newell that leads to the Bow Slope feed lot.

The applicant, Pace Canada Development Ltd., argues that grazing land is not suitable for traditional agriculture owing to its alkaline nature, and costs to service the land for housing are prohibitive.

The privately owned 26-megawatt array would sell electricity to the Alberta grid.

The Alberta Utilities Commission is accepting written submissions until Nov. 4 from those directly affected by the project (known as proceeding No. 29272).

13
-12