Attendees to the Alberta Utilities Commission open house on the renewable energy inquiry met in Medicine Hat on Tuesday evening.--News Photo Collin Gallant
cgallant@medicinehatnews.com@CollinGallant
Local opponents of wind and solar projects, along with those who say developing the utility sector in the southeast is needed, plan on being heard during an inquiry that has paused new wind and solar approvals in Alberta.
The Alberta Utilities Commission held the second of three open houses in largely rural areas on Tuesday in Medicine Hat, with officials answering general questions and promoting the process to make formal submissions to the commission’s work.
Paul Von Huene, who lives south of Irvine, has been a vocal opponent of wind projects that he says are much too large and too industrial in nature to be considered under rules developed decades ago.
He attended the afternoon and evening event and plans to formally submit a written submission for consideration and would also consider participating in oral hearings set to proceed in early December if needed.
“I’d like to think the AUC is going to reconsider some of the rules – the technology has way outgrown the rules,” said Von Huene, who believes the “fundamental problem” is the process is weighted toward approving projects, either with or without conditions.
Von Huene lives at a rural residence five kilometres from the nearest proposed turbine from several projects over the years for Cypress County. That’s outside a traditional radius for potentially impacted neighbours to gain official standing in application hearings.
He said it’s hard to address every concern, but he feels the power grid and production system should be better planned for the long term, but be is flexible enough to accept new technology and solve problems.
The AUC is considering how it evaluates submitted power plant proposals specifically related to how wind towers or solar panel arrays relate to location.
Specific to sites, the AUC will consider adding requirements to detail agricultural value, how placement aligns with local planning documents, plans for eventual reclamation and the potential to place energy projects on Crown land. Currently, projects can only proceed on privately owned land, and generally on farms or pastures in rural areas. That will be considered in hearings next month.
The AUC expert submissions on those issues are expected to be released Friday.
A second module examines the growth and effect of wind and solar power on the supply mix, and potentially prices in the Alberta Market. That concurrent work was to kick off this week.
AUC commissioned reports on Module A issues are due to be released on Friday.
Industry associations and development companies have opposed the full-stop place on approvals they say came without warning this summer. The Opposition New Democrats have called it disruptive and potentially harmful to investment attraction and economic diversification efforts.
That time span worries former Medicine Hat Labour Council leader David Condon, who attended the open house to learn more about the process.
“It’s easy for it to turn it into political bashing, but why shut down projects just to have hearings?” said Condon, who plans to submit a written submission. “The reports will be interesting, because one talks about reclamation and remediation of renewables projects. Well, what about existing (oil and gas) practices?”
Premier Danielle Smith, cabinet ministers and other local MLAs have said the pause is temporary but needed to define municipal and agricultural land-use issues ahead of a wave of potential applications in the approval queue. Rural elected leaders have generally backed the pause, even as new studies show up to half of some counties’ tax revenue is provided by new power projects, including the County of Forty Mile.
Utility Minister Nathan Neudorf recently told the Globe and Mail that full recommendations of the report could take several years to codify in legislation and fold into approval considerations.
Cypress County resident Sylvia Hollstein took part Tuesday and said she lives in close proximity to two wind farms erected in the last two years, with two more approved and another being considered.
Eventually about 200 turbines could be generally visible from her operation near the Cypress Hills.
“I hope the pause can help reset the process,” she said. “Cities and urban areas are where the power is needed … There’s no point ruining the countryside to supply cities and using up farmland just to use it up to make power.”
The general public has until Nov. 22 to take part in an online survey on the subjects, called a comment matrix, and submit any formal statement by that date as well.
Oral questions and presentations are set to be heard from Dec. 4-8 and Dec. 11-15.
Submissions from municipalities and industry officials will be considered from Dec. 11-15 with oral hearings to be determined.
