Western Alberta Transmission Line hearing underway

Times Contributor

 

The public hearing began for the approval of the Western Alberta Transmission Line on Monday, June 11, in Red Deer, AB. AltaLink, Alberta’s largest transmission company, filed an application with the Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC) for the approval of the line in March 2011.

If approved, the direct current transmission line is proposed to be 500kV and approximately 350km long, stretching from the Genesee area (West of Edmonton) to the Langdon area (East of Calgary).

The incentive is to meet the energy needs of Alberta’s growing population, which has increased in size by one million people since the lines were last updated in 1982. Scott Schreiner, Director of AltaLink’s External Engagement explained, “it’s going to provide a more reliable system, it is going to ensure that we reduce the waste on the system because it’s overloaded right now.”

The line will also make certain that the power produced in the North will be transmitted to where it is largely consumed in the South.

“Every generator in Alberta is competing against each other to drive prices down. How that competition works is obviously up to the markets, but the more congested the transmission system is, the less ability for these generators to compete,” said Schreiner.

The hearing, much like a court case, has a three member panel from the Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC) who cross examine the facts, and listen to those registered in favor of or opposed to the preferred route.

“The very purpose of the hearing is to arrive at a fair and objective determination of what’s applied for and what’s specified in the legislation that is in the public’s best interest,” said spokesperson for the AUC, Jim Law. 

AltaLink began the project in 2010, and have since held over 4,000 conversations with land owners, have had 23 open houses, and have had 15 information centres throughout the process.

“A combination of factors is considered: environmental impact, agricultural impact, obviously residential impact, and how well it works electrically. We take all of those factors into consideration to find what we believe are the lowest overall impact routes,” said Schreiner.

Schreiner believes the environmental impact of a transmission line is well understood and relatively small because the transmission lines are over head, allowing AltaLink to avoid any environmentally significant areas.

The hearing is estimated to take three-five weeks. If approved, the construction process is expected to take two years, and will be in service by April of 2015. The projected cost is $1.4 billion.

“Transmission lines are long term, it’s not something you build for the next two-five years, and it’s something that you build while looking ahead 40-50 years. We are the guys that are keeping the lights on for a majority of the province, and that’s a big job, and ensuring that the system is reliable,” said Schreiner.