Big Plans for Wind Power in Southeast Alberta
Published on December 2, 2009
Do you know that Southeast Alberta has plans to have more wind farm power than the entire province combined?
Southeast Alberta will no longer be termed the forgotten corner of the province. With approximately 1300 MW of wind developments proposed between four wind farms, these will be the largest wind developments in Canada, let alone Alberta. The four wind farms proposed in the Southeast Alberta region are Wind River’s Peace Butte Wind Power Project, Shell’s Wild Steer Butte Project, The City of Medicine Hat’s Box Spring Wind Farm, and NaturEner Canada’s Wild Rose 1 and 2. Shell, the largest of the proposed four farms, recently announced its size and scope, being up to 775 mw with a range between 259 - 379 turbines to be built over four townships. This will no doubt change the landscape of Southeast Alberta, but it will mean new growth opportunities for our savvy companies already here that we know will adapt. As these wind developments are massive projects and involve multiple stakeholders, from landowners to public officials, all must be considered. The EDA has been working with the Pembina Institute and the Farmer’s Advocacy to construct a Wind Document for Land Owners, which will bring clarity to the development process. This will benefit the wind farm developers by reducing typical objections but also the landowners by providing a resource tool for additional information on construction processes. We expect this document to be complete by April 1, 2010.