AltaLink Management Ltd. is moving forward with the construction of the proposed $1.5 billion dollar Western Alberta transmission Line (WATL), which is the second critical piece of transmission infrastructure to be approved by provincial regulators in the last month.
“We are pleased the AUC (Alberta Utilities Commission) considered the incredible amount of input provided by Albertans in our application,” said Scott Thon, AltaLink president and CEO.
“Since January 2010, we’ve had more than 4,500 discussions with stakeholders through open houses, information centres, one-on-one consultations, phone calls and written correspondence.”
In a recent decision, the AUC approved a proposal by Altalink to build the WATL, which will extend about 350 km from Genesee, west of Edmonton, to the Langdon area east of Calgary.
This proposed line will reinforce the backbone of the transmission system between the Edmonton and Calgary areas, which has not seen an upgrade in about 40 years.
The project involves the construction of a 500-kilovolt direct-current transmission line with associated converter stations and equipment. The capital cost of the project was estimated by AltaLink to be about $1.5 billion.
Last month, ATCO Electric Ltd received approval from the AUC for the construction of the proposed $1.6-billion Eastern Alberta Transmission Line (EATL), which will be a 500 kilometre transmission line from the Gibbons area northeast of Edmonton to an area southeast of Calgary near Brooks.
The WATL and the EATL were deemed critical infrastructure under the controversial Bill 50 legislation, which was passed in November 2009.
Bill 50 increased Cabinet’s discretion to plan essential components of the electricity system.
Critics said the legislation placed limits on public input on plans to construct $14 billion to $20 billion in new power lines in the province.
Critics insisted an independent assessment should be undertaken to determine the need for new lines, rather than allowing cabinet to approve projects.
The AUC made a decision to suspend the review process and hearings for the WATL and EATL in October 2010.
An independent review committee was appointed to examine the need for these proposed transmission lines in December 2011.
The Critical Transmission Review Committee released a report in February, which concluded it is reasonable to build two north-south lines and confirmed the need for reinforcement of north-south transmission as soon as possible.
The AUC held information sessions in communities along the preferred and alternate routes, and conducted a number of public hearings.
The AUC approved the preferred route submitted by Altalink, which included deviations based on landowner suggestions.
During the review of the WATL, the AUC considered a motion brought by Neal and Amy Cunningham, who are landowners with a home only 500 metres from the preferred route.
They expressed their concerns about potential impacts of the project and argued the 500-kV transmission line and substations form part of an international or interprovincial undertaking and are therefore beyond the jurisdiction of the AUC.
The motion was dismissed, with the AUC stating within its analysis that, “Seeing that its start and end points are in Alberta and that the proposed transmission line, if approved, will be part of the Alberta Interconnected Electric System, the commission finds that the proposed Western Alberta Transmission Line is a local work… the commission is of the view that the proposed Western Alberta Transmission Line and associated substations are works entirely within Alberta and are prima facie within provincial jurisdiction.”
The AUC found the preferred route to be both in the public interest and superior to other potential routes, when land use, social and environmental cost are considered.
One of the most substantial deviations from Altalink’s preferred routing the AUC approved is a 37-km stretch known as the Crossfield Tie option.
More than 60 per cent of the approved route parallels existing transmission lines.
The AUC has also directed the applicant to use less obtrusive monopole structures in a 12-km stretch east of Gleniffer Reservoir, make a minor adjustment to the route near where it would cross Hwy. 2 north of Crossfield and has directed AltaLink to investigate a further routing adjustment over a 3.2-km stretch in that area.
A further refinement to the approved route where it crosses Hwy. 2 could also occur.
Construction of the WATL is scheduled to begin in January with site preparation and expected to be completed by the spring of 2015.
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