AltaLink hosts final open house in Indus

Times Reporter

 

AltaLink hosted their last open house at the Indus recreational centre on Sept. 8, regarding the proposed route of the transmission lines. There have been 11 open houses in total and seventy four stakeholders came to Indus to see what new options were being presented. AltaLink has a lengthy process they go through before filing an application with Alberta Utilities Commission, AUC. 

“For anyone who is on or close to a route that we’re considering, we will go out and do a one-on-one consultation with them at their home or business and try to make that as convenient for them as we can,” said Leigh Clarke, Senior Vice President, External Engagement. 

AltaLink began looking at routes for a new transmission line when ISO, Independent System Operator, planned the system and then said what they want to be implemented. Since then it has been up to AltaLink to find the best option for the line that also has the lowest impact to residents of affected areas.  

They have looked through a variety of different options, and have scrapped many options, as they consult with stakeholders. 

“We only really construct in the winter when the ground is frozen, to try to minimize the disruption,” said Clarke. AltaLink will also return the land around the tower, which will be approximately 9 x 12 metres wide, back to the way it was before construction began.  

“We pay fair market value for that land as though we were buying it outright, we don’t actually buy it, we just take the easement, which gives us the right to put the power line there, but we compensate as though we are buying that land outright,” said Clarke. 

The reason a new transmission line is needed is because the current lines are an AC system and when more power is needed a new line must go up. A DC system can basically be switched to increase the power running through the lines. 

“We’re trying to be very open and forthright about how we do what we do. There’s no magic in it, we’ve got criteria we have to apply and our job is to find that route with the lowest impacts on an overall basis,” said Clarke.

 “What I hope is we’ve been transparent enough and listened well enough that people, while they may not agree with the decision we’ve made or they may think we made a mistake somewhere, I expect that. What I’m hoping is by being transparent they will understand the process and feel that they had their say.” 

Currently AltaLink is holding information sessions. These sessions run longer than the open houses, and they are like a scaled down version of the open house. The plan is to file a permit at the end of this year after which a hearing will be held to make sure that AltaLink has done their job properly.