MD of Pincher Creek holds Public Hearing to discuss proposed land-use amendment

Chris Davis, Pincher Creek Voice

Highway 785 Wind Farm expansion planned
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The Municipal District of Pincher Creek No. 9 Council met on Tuesday afternoon, November 8 to hold a Public Hearing regarding proposed Land Use Amendment Bylaw 1218-11.

The land in question is situated just North of Highway 3, on the corner just east of Highway 785, which leads to the Oldman River Dam and the Summerview district.
Enel Alberta Wind Inc. is seeking to have a portion of land redesignated from "Agriculture A" to "Wind Farm Industrial" for the purposes of further windmill construction in the area.

The proposed parcel of land would become part of the Highway 785 Wind Farm network.


Enel Project Manager Michael Kehle was on hand to answer questions from the council, and theoretically from the public. However, there were no public individuals present with questions to ask. MD Development Officer Roland Milligan prefaced Kehle's presentation with a brief overview.  "This is to rezone an area that is surrounded by lands that have already been rezoned to Wind Farm Industrial," said Milligan.

Kehle said Enel has already signed a land lease for the parcel with the Town of Pincher Creek.

AUC approves Castle Rock transmission line

"We got our AUC (Alberta Utilities Commission) approval last week for the Castle Rock transmission line," said Kehle.

Kehle also provided a project development schedule. Start of actual construction of turbines is scheduled for the spring of 2015.  "We learned from Castle Rock that you can't build through the winter here," he said.  The present proposal is for a Siemes' SWT 3.0 101 Turbine, the "biggest Class 1 turbine on the market," according to Kehle.  It has no gearbox and is considered to be one of the quietest on the market.  According to documents filed with the MD, the Highway 785 Wind Project will require a separate substation.   The project is currently at stage 3 of a 6-stage Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO) electrical interconnection process.

Councillor Rod Cyr asked about the current irrigation at the site, and was told by Kehle that it would removed.  Councillor Bjorn Berg asked about a small piece of land in the southwest corner  that would be orphaned by the proposed project.  Kehle said he would have to bring it back to his board for clarification, as the piece was too small for a turbine.

Given that no members of the public chose to ask any questions, Kehle was thanked for his presentation and the MD Council moved on to their regular bi-monthly meeting.