Start date for wind farm in Forty Mile delayed until mid-spring

By Medicine Hat News on February 5, 2025.

@MedicineHatNews

Commissioning the newest wind farm in the County of Forty Mile will be delayed until spring, and new regulatory documents reveal an operating agreement with the nearby Bow Island aerodrome.

Spanish renewable energy producer, Acconia, was required to complete its AECG Forty Mile wind power facility, about five kilometres east from the town by Jan. 31, but has been granted an extension to May 31 by the Alberta Utilities Commission.

Construction began in mid-2023 to erect 49 turbines on portions of 29 different quarter-sections north of Township Road 90 and west of Range Road 100.

The maximum operating capacity will be 273 megawatts, but after challenges to the original regulatory approval, the company must now limit some turbines after a ruling last fall.

The company would be required to shut down turbines on 24 hours notice for aerial spraying, as well as enact a shutoff protocol for towers Nos. 4 and 5, located closest to the airstrip, between April 15 and Oct. 1 during daylight hours and certain meteorological conditions.

High wind is cited as the reason for construction delays.

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