August 9 Community Press

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The Community

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Press 115 Years of Telling YOUR Story

Volume 116 Issue 06

www.thecommunitypress.com

Province directs AUC to pause approvals on renewable energy projects to ‘24 Leslie Cholowsky Editor

In a surprise announcement on Thursday, Aug. 3, the Alberta Minister of Affordability and Utilities directed the Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC) to pause approvals in respect of new renewable electricity generation projects until at least February 2-24. With two local solar projects currently being proposed, for Lougheed and Killam, based on the timelines of those projects, this announcement is of interest to councils and residents in the region. The province says its decision was spurred by increased stakeholder participation and opposition, especially to projects that are proposed for agricultural lands. The Rural Municipalities Association, (RMA) released a statement saying that it has been advocating for changes in regulation and approval processes with the AUC. “The RMA is also working with Brownlee LLP to develop a formal set of recommendations based on current legislation and is actively working on several resolutions including resolution 21-22F: “Loss of Agricultural Land to Renewable Energy Projects“ and resolution 9-22F: “Renewable Energy Project Reclamation Requirements.” This announcement aligns with the

work that a RMA quasi-judicial member committee has done, specifically with advocating for enhanced municipal input into approval processes and recognition of the local impacts of provincially-regulated developments.” The RMA further says that “It will be vital that any changes to policies and procedures reflect the importance of rural municipalities and acknowledge the local perspectives to create a balanced approach. “The RMA will continue to engage with the Government of Alberta throughout this process and ensure that a rural perspective is included in the review. “The renewable energy industry is crucial to the future of rural municipalities and the province as a whole. The RMA looks forward to working with the Government of Alberta, AUC, industry, and other stakeholders to ensure Alberta continues to be a premier destination for renewable energy investment.” PACE Canada, who is currently planning the Peter Lougheed Solar project in Lougheed, and Old Bear Solar project in Killam, says the timeline shouldn’t affect work on these projects. Claude Mindorff, Director of Development for PACE, says, “We’re disappointed that the Province has chosen to do this

Hockey hero highlighted at Sedgewick Museum P9

Wednesday, August 9, 2023 s

Beautiful Northern Light show

JAN BERGSETH PHOTO

Jan Bergseth took a look outside on Friday, Aug 4 just after 11 p.m. and decided to grab her phone when she saw the northern lights swirling around the waning full moon. She says her kitty, bottom left, wasn’t the only ‘critter’ out there, as the mosquitoes were in full force as well. The full moon in August (Aug. 1) is named after North America’s largest fish, the sturgeon. Other names for this full moon include Grain Moon, Corn Moon, Lynx Moon, and Lightning Moon.

without consultation.” Mindorff says that their development process includes community engagement from the start, something that sets them apart from other projects. “We try to elicit community support, and look for willing landowners before we even start a project.” PACE projects include reclamation plans, and land use policies, and are something municipal councils support. “We have a farm plan for every project, that includes weed control, bio-diversity, and more. Nothing that AUC is concerned about applies to our current projects.” In recent virtual consultations on the Peter Lougheed

Solar site proposed for Lougheed, PACE Solar said it builds a decommissioning fund into its lease structure. “At year 2, $1,800 per MW is invested in a Letter of Credit with a Tier 1 Canadian financial institution. This amount increases to $20,000 per MW by year 10. Interest accumulates until end of life at year 30. “Should PACE become insolvent, the landowner is named as a beneficiary by the Financial institution holding the decommissioning fund on deposit. “Assessed value of assets in year 30 is $190,000 per MW, which is salvage value of an est. $3.04 million.”

PACE provided this information to stakeholders in its June 28 virtual meeting on the Lougheed project under existing AUC stipulations requiring the project to submit its reclamation plans that provide an overview of how they will ensure sufficient funds are available at the project end to cover the cost of decommissioning and reclamation. The Canadian Renewable Energy Association (CanRea) Vice President of Policy for Western Canada, Evan Wilson, said earlier in the year: “Alberta accounted for the lion’s share, 75 per cent, of Canada’s utility-scale wind and solar capacity growth in 2022. Continued on Page 4


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