WESTLOCK – Westlock County is encouraging its residents to participate in an open house this week that will detail a proposed 24-megawatt (MW) solar project that’s slated to be in operation by the end of 2024.
On tap from 5 to 8 p.m., March 8, at the Westlock Inn, the event will offer insight into the proposed Acestes Power ULC (Acestes) project which is tabbed to be located two kilometres north of the Town of Westlock and is touted to be able to provide enough electricity to power approximately 7,000 homes yearly — the meeting is part of the participant-involvement program included under the Alberta Utility Commission’s (AUC) Rule 007 approval process.
Currently slated to be built at NW and SW 17-60-26 W4M, the plant would produce up to 24 MWs of power into the local electric distribution grid and will include approximately 55,000 modules installed on a single-axis tracking system — the system will gather (DC) power from the solar panels and convert it to alternating current (AC) power which will be sent to a transformer to increase the voltage to 25 kilovolts (kV) for delivery to the local electricity grid.
Samantha Brown, with SABR Energy Consulting who’s assisting Acestes with the consultation process, said via e-mail March 2 they’ll have “subject-matter experts on hand” at the open house to answer questions, but made it clear “that this is not a presentation, rather it is an informal walk around with coffee and snacks for stakeholders to drop in at their convenience and ask any questions they may have.”
“And following the open house we are, of course, available to discuss any stakeholder questions or concerns that arise,” she added.
According to an eight-page newsletter that details the project, Acestes is part of a family-owned group of businesses “that have been active in the Alberta agricultural and real estate sectors for over 100 years” and “the management's strong relationships and experience in the province include 27 years in the electricity sector.”
On the agenda
County CAO Tony Kulbisky added the open house to the agenda of council’s Feb. 28 meeting and encouraged councillors and ratepayers to take it in — the county has also added the newsletter to its website and social-media channels.
Following the open house, the newsletter notes there’ll be continued public dialogue as the company’s AUC application is slated to be tendered in April with “anticipated approval” by August — Kulbisky said there’ll be “three or four amendments” to the county’s land-use bylaw if the project receives the go ahead from the AUC. As it stands, construction is slated to start in November of this year and the facility will be operational by December 2024.
“My purpose is simply to get the awareness out there for this proposed meeting. And I really encourage anyone who’s living in that area of the proposed location or anyone who wants to seek further information or clarity to go to the open house and have their questions answered,” said Kulbisky. “We’ve reached out to Sturgeon County because they’ve been looking at these types of things as well and they’ve shared with us their land-use bylaw amendments that they looked at and approved.”
Questions abound
While councillors had a slew of questions and some wondered about the location with reeve Christine Wiese saying it’s on “good farmland close to town which is not easy to find”, Coun. Stuart Fox-Robinson, who’s CEO of Wild Rose Rural Electrification Association, noted its proximity to a substation “which is no more than half-a-mile away from there.”
“When you’re producing this level of electricity the further it has to travel before hitting the substations to boost it, you get line loss,” said Fox-Robinson, noting that there are other locations in the county “that would work” for a solar farm.
“But I think it’s really important to drive people to this open house.”
Kulbisky also noted that if the project does get AUC approval, the company will need to pull a development permit and the county could add in clauses to that permit to address any concerns. Deputy reeve Ray Marquette urged councillors and the public to keep an open mind as “we’re advertising ‘growing forward’” and we all “need power and they’re not using coal.” Council also decided to hold off on inviting the company to an upcoming meeting, with Wiese saying they’ll wait until the open house and “keep it as a watch item.”
“As Coun. Fox-Robinson indicated, this is early days and we don’t even know if this is going to proceed past AUC, but we need to at least inform the public of what’s potentially happening,” said Kulbisky.
Project studies and benefits
According to the project newsletter, a detailed noise impact assessment is underway to ensure the project adheres to AUC guidelines and there would be noise control in place during both the construction and operation phases and the “facility will not exceed the regulated limits set out by the AUC.”
A glare assessment at nearby residences, and along local roads and railways, has been done and full report will be included in the application to the AUC. In addition, “comprehensive environmental studies” including wildlife studies, vegetation studies, wetlands delineation and habitat mapping have been completed and the results and potential mitigation were submitted to Alberta Environment and Protected Areas (AEPE) in February 2023 — once AEPA reviews the information they will issue a Renewable Energy Wildlife Referral Report for the project.
The newsletter notes the “solar plant will provide ongoing tax revenue benefits to Westlock County” over its lifespan and “provide a local source of power that is clean and renewable.”
The newsletter also notes that construction will require many skills and trades and it’s expected they’ll need over 100 workers and there will also be “ongoing job opportunities during the operational life of the plant.”
