Potential locations for the Medicine Hat Southwest Substation, as released by the City of Medicine Hat, at the utility recommences study toward building the project. Jagged lines represent existing power lines. Solid light-coloured line is the city limits and Gershaw Road becoming Highway 3 dissecting the map from top to bottom.--Source www. shapeyourcity.medicinehat.ca
cgallant@medicinehatnews.com@CollinGallant
The city’s power company will reapply this fall to build a new substation in south Medicine Hat after a similar application to the Alberta Utilities Commission was denied last summer when county residents objected to its proposed location.
The “Medicine Hat Southwest Substation” is now back on a list of major projects on the City of Medicine Hat’s website, though officials stress the process is beginning anew to find a location and gather feedback on the project they say is urgently needed.
“The city has reinitiated (analysis) for an application, it’s not been submitted to the AUC,” said Grayson Mauch, the city’s director of utility distribution.
“We’re currently in a public consultation phase, and we’ve released potential sties to solicit feedback (on) nine potential sites. We don’t have a preferred site yet.”
Last June, a commission panel rejected both a preferred site for the fenced compound and electrical infrastructure, near the Highway 3 entrance to city limits, and an alternate site, on S. Boundary Road near the turn to the Cypress County hamlet of Desert Blume.
Utility officials argued the station was needed to expand delivery capacity to the south end of the city and better manage flow throughout most areas.
Lawyers for two separate groups of county residents successfully argued the facility would detract from their properties, that the city had not exhausted other potential locations and had not demonstrated the need for the facility.
Cypress County also made a submission at the hearing, arguing for the lowest impact siting after elected officials from both jurisdictions were lobbied for several years about the $22-million project.
A new list of potential locations, published at the city’s public engagement website shapeyourcity.medicinehat.ca for the fenced compound, include four on dry corners of fields along Range Road 63.
Another five locations include four inside city limits – including the two originally proposed sites – as well as another north of Gershaw Drive and another in the Coulee Ridge subdivision.
Utility planners began working in 2019 on the project to better regulate power moving from the city’s river-valley power plant, south on lines past Holsom Road then jogging generally along S. Boundary Road.
They settled on two privately owned parcels inside city limits, but across the road from a Cypress County residential subdivision and the hamlet.
Now, nine potential locations are outlined on a map for public information, including two preferred and alternate sites outlined in the 2023 application, which sparked controversy and opposition, and eventually paused the $20-million project.
The city will now begin a feedback process until July, including time before and after it narrows the list of sites and makes a decision on preferred and alternate sites in June.
An application could be filed with the AUC to permit the structure in the early fall and, if approved, construction could begin in the spring of 2026.
Shortly after the June 2023 decision, city elected and administration officials said they would “aggressively recommence” the process, including a potential appeal.
Since then, several development discussions at city hall have alluded to a lack of power in the south holding back development. Specifically, discussions of a new facilities plan for the parks and recreation department referenced delays for a potential south-side fitness facility.
Mauch said his department is working with developers to stage construction and alter operations.
“We obviously want to deliver reliable power to everybody,” he said.
