With so many renewable energy projects coming online in southeast Alberta, upgrades to the electrical system are likely needed.--NEWS FILE PHOTO
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A surge in renewable power production in southeast Alberta could soon cause congestion on the Alberta power grid.
That is according to the Alberta Electrical system operator which told industry officials last week that equipment upgrades near Medicine Hat may be needed next year while longer-term solutions, including new lines, are studied.
In a Feb. 8 presentation, AESO stated that existing wind and solar power production capacity could more than double in the near term.
As well, six times the current amount of development is proposed to be built in the region.
That is carried to larger centres where demand is highest via AltaLink’s Cassils to the Bowmanton leg of the provincial power grid, which was built in the mid-2010s at a cost of $700 million.
According to AESO planners, new work could be needed in 2024 to upgrade substations and handling capacity on the route, though it is also discussing longer term solution and new line development.
Those include options for new lines to create a loop in the region, rather than the single line in and out configuration.
Options discussed last year involve bridging gaps between either the Bow Island area to Lethbridge, via one of two proposed routes, or adding a line from Bowmanton to Empress to shunt off power northward to central Alberta.
In the southeast currently, five wind farms that came into operation over the last three years have a cumulative peak production capacity of 795 megawatts.
Two others that are in advanced permitting process and a major solar farm nearly complete would add 628 megawatts when operating.
Two more at advanced planning stages would produce another 356 megawatts.
That brings the capacity booked on the lines via an inclusion criteria to 1,779 megawatts – about eight times more than peak demand in the City of Medicine Hat.
Projects in the southeast comprising another 4,500 megawatts are before the AESO long-term planning list.
AESO is now gathering submissions from industry stakeholders about equipment upgrades at Bowmanton and a planned “Elkwater Substation” operating to handle 240 kilovolts between Bowmanton and Whitla stations.
