mcranker@medicinehatnews.com@mocranker
Medicine Hat College will play a key role in the RenuWell project that was announced earlier this month.
The project has received $2.1 million in funding from the Municipal Climate Change Action Centre and it will repurpose inactive oil and gas wells. The well sites will become community solar energy projects, distributing 2 MW of distributed solar energy to the M.D. of Taber.
MHC Continuing Studies program administrator Erin Ferris says the college is happy to be on board.
“There’s a number of different partners involved in this – we’re one of them,” she said. “We’re partnering in to help with the training portion of this project. At Medicine Hat College we’ve had experience with solar training over the years.
“I think Iron and Earth wanted to partner with us because of our experience. We’re looking forward to being a part of this.”
The program will be taking 15 energy sector and Indigenous workers, and retraining them for the renewable energy industry. The workers will learn skills and knowledge needed to successfully perform reclamation and site transformations.
“This is the first go around of this project, so we’re working as we go,” said Ferris. “We’re hoping this first go is a successful one, so we can look at other parts of Alberta to do this sort of training.
“This is an exciting opportunity for us and for the 15 students.”
The work is not a degree or diploma program, but provides career training
“The workers that complete this will get a certificate,” said Ferris. “This program is a great example of what we do with Continuing Studies.
“We’re going to be working with one of the electrical professors at the college to develop curriculum for this program.”
Ferris says the program participants have not been picked yet. The college will be holding a job fair early in the winter and hopes to find people then.
