Open house gathers input on transmission line route

By Rob Vogt – Local Press Writer
It was an opportunity for the public to express its preference for the route of an electricity transmission line running from a proposed solar farm southeast of Claresholm to an existing line east of Highway 2 running north.
Kiwetinohk Energy held an open house, presenting the routing options for the Homestead MPC Solar Project transmission line, to the public on Thursday, Dec. 8 at the Claresholm Community Centre.
Route A would run from the proposed solar farm in the northwest corner of NW-7-12-25-4 go north along Range Road 260, to the municipal road allowance on the southerly boundary of NE-13-12-26-4, straight west through private land to the existing transmission line on the westerly boundary of NE-13-12-27-4 just east of Highway 2 south of Claresholm.
Route B would run from the proposed solar farm in the northwest corner of NW-7-12-25-4, straight west along Township Road 122, to the existing transmission line on the westerly boundary of SE and NE-13-12-27-4, just east of Highway 2 south of Claresholm.
Route C would run from the proposed solar farm in the northwest corner of NW-7-12-25-4 west on Township Road 122, to the municipal road allowance on the easterly boundary of NE-11-12-26-4, go straight south through private land to the southernly boundary of SE-11-12-26-4, straight west on private land to the southernly boundary of SE-12-12-27-4, taking a northwest angle to the existing transmission line, on the westerly boundary of SE and NE-13-12-27-4 just east of Highway 2 south of Claresholm.
Samantha Brown, who was helping facilitate the open house, said it was a public consultation to see which route options were preferred.
She said they have heard overwhelmingly people do not like Route B.
They are now also meeting with land owners on all three routes.
Kiwetinohk Energy will next narrow the routing down to two options, with more detail, and send that back out for consultation, and meet with the land owners then.
The results will then be part of Kiwetinohk Energy’s application to the Alberta Utilities Commission for the project.
In that application, a preferred route and an alternate route will be declared, and the Alberta Utilities Commission can approve any route they like.
The right of way for the transmission line, which will be above ground, will be 35 metres to allow for swing on the towers and vegetation management.
John Maniawski is president of the green energy division for Kiwetinohk Energy.
He said the solar farm has received approval from the Alberta Utilities Commission, where they were directed to site the facility on cultivated land, not grassland or native prairie.
The site was chosen based on several factors such as land use and topography, but they did receive guidance from Alberta Environment and Parks on lowering the environmental impact.
“That is the balance we try to achieve,” Maniawski said.
He added if they have to be on cultivated land, they will try to reduce the environmental impact, be mindful of that in accessing the electricity grid, and mindful of community acceptance.
Maniawski said they will do their best to co-exist with agriculture. In other solar farm sites that has been done, in part, by grazing sheep and keeping bees alongside the solar panels.
They are also talking to land owners about agrivoltaics, that is the potential of growing certain crops between and maybe underneath panels.
“This is something we want to look at closer,” Maniawski said.
The biggest limitation is having equipment small enough to take off crop in that small a space.
“We want to see what can we really do,” Maniawski said, adding they would like to work with land owners and schools of agriculture.
“We want to look at how we can work with agriculture,” he said.
“This is something we are committed to.”