Open Houses for Proposed Power lines
Amy Gregson – Times Reporter
With the population of Alberta growing rapidly and the demand for power doubling, a new transmission line has
been proposed in the province. AltaLink is proposing to build the line from the Genesee area west of Edmonton
to around the Langdon area and is holding open houses to discuss the project.
“There’s all these route alternatives and we need to speak to stakeholders to find the best one out of all of those proposed so far,” said Robin Boschman, from AltaLink. There are currently three different routes being proposed, but only one line would be built.
The proposed routes include areas with no other transmission lines, routes that parallel other transmission lines and routes near the least number of residences. The completed line would be anywhere from 330 to 400 km in length and would be a 500 kilovolt transmission line using a new technology called direct current.
A converter station will be built at each end of the line to change electricity from direct current to alternating current, so the direct current line can connect with the rest of the province, which operates
in alternating current.
Direct current continually flows in the same direction, similar to the current in a flashlight or an automobile battery.
Direct current was chosen because stakeholders were concerned about reducing the impact of building new transmission lines.
The direct current line would also be able to transport large amounts of power more efficiently than alternating current. The towers would be smaller and it would require a smaller right-of-way.
“We’ve added more than a million people to our province, and the transmission
system, which is the high voltage long distance power lines that you see in the province, haven’t been upgraded in that time,” Boschman said.
“Our demand for power has grown exponentially and our transmission system just hasn’t kept up.”
At the open houses people will find out more information about the direct current technology, information about the compensation and consultation process and more project details.
“Stakeholder feedback is critical to finding the best route for this project, so we really need to hear from people,” said Boschman.
AltaLink will be talking to stakeholders across the province at open houses in the month of February, and then in information sessions in March. AltaLink will be refining the routes in the summer after looking at stakeholder feedback.
A second stage of consultations about the transmission line will happen in the fall with more open houses, information sessions and one-on-ones. They then must apply to the Alberta Utilities Commission to get permission to build the line. This application is anticipated to happen in spring 2011.
If approved, construction would start in approximately 2012 and be completed sometime in 2014.
The estimated cost of the project is approximately $1.1 billion.
The closest open house is in Indus Feb. 16 from 4 to 8 p.m. at the Indus Recreation Centre.
For more information on the project
visit www.albertaelectricityfuture.ca/
westernline