The Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO) will be filing a needs identification document with the Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC) to reinforce the transmission system in the Airdrie area at the end of May.
“This line upgrade, new line and new substation is required to meet the growing demand for electricity by residents, the commercial and industrial sectors in Airdrie and the area,” said Dawn Delaney, spokesperson for the AESO.
“Over the next 10 years, we forecast demand will increase over 50 per cent, which is quite significant. It is a key piece of reinforcement required to meet growing demand within Airdrie. The city is growing at an exponential rate and the transmission system has not kept up with the growth.”
The AESO has determined this need can be reliably met by adding a new 240/138-kilovolt substation with a telecommunications tower southeast of the city, connecting the substation to the existing system by building a new 138-kilovolt, 10-kilometre transmission line and upgrading five kilometres of existing transmission lines in the area.
The upgrade will essentially double the capacity of the existing line.
AltaLink Management Ltd. is the transmission facility owner in the area and Leanne Niblock, manager of project communications, said the company has been in consultation with the public for about a year.
“We have had two open houses an information session and lots of one-on-one consultations,” she said.
“We are working with the people who know the area best to determine the route with the lowest overall impact on the environment, agriculture and the community.”
Niblock estimated the cost of the project at between $35 million and $40 million, which translates to an increase of about 40 cents on the average consumer’s utility bill.
“We plan to continue communication with people on the construction plans,” she said.
“We will keep people as informed as possible about the process.”
Niblock said if the needs identification document is approved by the AUC, construction on the line could start as early as next spring.
The tentative service date for the project is the end of 2012. Once filed, the document will be posted on the AESO website at www.aeso.ca
