WESTLOCK – If and when the application by Acestes Power ULC to build a 24-megawatt (MW) solar power farm two kilometres north of the Town of Westlock ends up in front of the Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC) this spring, Westlock County will participate and take a ‘neutral’ position on the project.
County councillors and senior administration have gone in-camera at their last two meetings, hearing a presentation from AltaLink’s municipal relations manager John Grove at their March 23 committee of the whole meeting, then spent an hour plus behind closed doors with Alifeyah Gulamhusein of the law firm Brownlee LLP at their March 28 regular meeting in what CAO Tony Kulbisky said was to “clarify council’s position on the proposed solar project in terms of how we’re going to commit to participating in the AUC process.”
As it stands, Kulbisky said “council wants to take a neutral position” and as soon as they know Acestes Power has applied to the AUC, which is expected in April, they’ll submit a formal letter-of-intent to participate. Kulbisky said taking a neutral position is a “strategic move” and will allow them to continue negotiating with the company, while still being able to speak directly to the AUC during the application process.
“Basically, it allows us to put down our concerns with respect to land-use planning. And really some of those concerns should be directed to the government of Alberta in terms of their policy regulations that they provide to the AUC and how these matters are reviewed,” said Kulbisky in a March 30 follow-up interview. “The concern that we’ve already provided to the solar company is what is their land-reclamation plan and to make sure that there’s a trust fund established, so that in 20 years’ time there’s a pot of money put aside that can basically be used to reclaim the site to its original state so we’re not left holding the bag for those costs.”
Currently slated to be built at NW and SW 17-60-26 W4M and open by the winter of 2024, the plant is touted to 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.
Kulbisky said the county also wants a “weed management plan” put in place for the life of the project “and who’s actually going to do it.” Around 50 residents participated in a March 8 open house in Westlock by the company as part of the participant-involvement program included under the AUC’s Rule 007 approval process and some of the feedback centered over the location on prime agricultural land, its impact on surrounding farmland and the glare from the panels.
“The concern raised at the open house is that this is on Type 2 soils and it’s been proven that everything will grow on Type 2 soils, so they need to articulate what their weed-management plan is not only for their site, but the potential impacts on the surrounding farmlands. And if they can show us what that looks like, I think that might appease some of the concerns that we heard at the open house,” said Kulbisky.
According to an eight-page, company-produced newsletter, the project will provide enough electricity to power approximately 7,000 homes yearly, while Clyde Carr, managing consultant with Acestes Power, said at the March 8 meeting that most complaints he heard that night were about the fact it’s on prime agricultural land.
Acestes Power is a small, Alberta-based company first established in 2016 and has built several projects in southern Alberta that are currently up and running and producing power — one is south of the Town of Vulcan and two others are in Lethbridge County.
Carr noted at the meeting that the company did look at other areas in the region, including land near Clyde, but found that the substation there “just didn’t have the capacity, but this substation (north of Westlock) has the capacity.”
Kulbisky noted the land near Clyde is rated as Type 4-5, which would allay the concerns of many on the proposed site being on Type 2 land, and they’d still like the company to produce a “technical study” to show why they can’t connect there.
“They said they looked at it and it’s not up to capacity, but according to our information that’s maybe not that true. So, if they can show what some of the other pieces look like it would help satisfy people with that concern,” said Kulbisky, noting their information on the substations came during the AltaLink presentation.
Ultimately, Kulbisky said the AUC decides who gets to participate in the process and “in the crazy way they look at the world, Westlock County actually is not that impacted, but the people who live in the general area are.” With that in mind, Kulbisky said they’ll work area residents “who want to participate on how to register and how to prepare.”
“There’s a formality to their process and you can go on the AUC website right now and get a sense of how it goes. If you’re going to go and just give an impassioned plea that this site is taking away prime agricultural land, they’re going to want to see documentation to support that,” Kulbisky continued. “If you have none of those reports done, they may or may not want to hear from you. So, the more we can help the public who want to participate, the better it will be for all involved.”
Kulbisky said he’s stayed in contact with company officials and they’ve told him that looking at their concerns “which is promising.” That said, he made it clear that it will be the AUC, not the county, that will decide if the project goes forward as the Municipal Government Act contains provisions that allow for projects like this to proceed without municipal approval.
“And that’s what’s wrong with the AUC process in that if we would have been talking with these guys two years ago, maybe we’d be further along. It’s not the company’s fault, it’s the AUC process that needs to change and that came across loud and clear at the RMA conference a few weeks ago,” said Kulbisky. “Every county that’s been impacted by the rush to put solar farms in their areas have had the same concerns — there’s no discussion with the municipalities.”
Project details
According to the company’s newsletter, a glare assessment at nearby residences, and along local roads and railways, has been done and a 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.”
