The UCP government released its long-awaited policy on renewable energy projects Wednesday, introducing sweeping new restrictions on what types of projects will be allowed on prime agricultural lands.Specifically, new wind and solar projects will only be allowed on Class 1 and Class 2 irragable lands if developers can demonstrate they can coexist with specific crops and livestock..“You cannot build wind turbines the size of the Calgary tower in front of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, or on Nose Hill or in your neighbor's backyard. We have a duty to protect the natural beauty and communities of our province.”Premier Danielle Smith.Also, wind projects in particular will be subject to a new — and admittedly arbitrary — ‘visual impact assessment’ to protect Alberta’s postcard vistas and impose 35 km buffer zones around scenic and protected areas.Predictably, Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault didn’t have much good to say. On Twitter (“X”) he posted a link to a map that suggests the 35 km limit effectively excludes 75% of Alberta.Also, developers will be required to put up abandonment liability funds for reclamation under an as-yet-to-be determined formula. Although it won’t be the same as those required for oil and gas, the basic principle will be the same in order to avoid ‘orphan wells 2.0’..Municipalities will also have a say on major projects in their regions and provided with resources to make appeal.Premier Danielle Smith and Utilities Minister Nathan Neudorf said the changes, which take effect on March 1, balance the interests of the energy industry, landowners and tourism..According to government figures, Alberta is home to more than 90% of the renewable power projects in the country apart from nuclear and hydro.“We've been doing the work to ensure that we have clear rules for the regulator, investors, municipalities and Alberta landowners. And having clear rules means that everyone knows we will prioritize our agricultural lands that means the AUC (Alberta Utilities Commission) will take an agriculture first approach when evaluating the best use of agricultural lands proposed for renewable development,” Smith said.“You cannot build wind turbines the size of the Calgary tower in front of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, or on Nose Hill or in your neighbor's backyard. We have a duty to protect the natural beauty and communities of our province.”.Many projects will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis to balance landowner rights with the needs of Albertans in a way that allows the industry to grow and investment dollars to put in. Presently there are about 26 projects in the queue that would be affected by the new rules.And contrary to assertions by federal politicians like Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault that the Smith government is trying to stifle renewable energy in favour of fossil fuels.“Let me be clear: There will be no blanket bans on specific types of land. Instead we are being responsible by ensuring that renewable energy projects do not sterilize agricultural lands,” Neudorf said. .In addition, new renewables will have to be backed by base-load generation such as natural gas to ensure adequate power when the sun isn’t shining and the wind isn’t blowing — which is exactly what occurred at 5 p.m. on January 13 when the temperature fell to -30C, the sun went down and wind was generating just 7 megawatts (mW) of more than 6,000 mW installed capacity.“They are not the silver bullet for Alberta's electricity needs and they are not the silver bullet of electricity affordability because each new development risks driving up the transmission costs and makes Alberta's utility bills even more expensive,” Smith said.The details of reclamation and abandonment liabilities need to be worked out but will generally follow the same principles as oil and gas — although Neudorf acknowledged that renewable projects vary in scope and the types of work that need to be done to restore sites.It may come in the form of a bond to be paid to the Alberta government or a negotiated payment to the landowner..Work will also continue to develop a coherent transmission policy after the former NDP government created what Smith called ”a mess” after it retired coal power six years early.And Neudorf said while Wednesday’s changes were largely aimed at protecting thee agricultural sector, the government is also working on policy to address rooftop solar in urban areas.
The UCP government released its long-awaited policy on renewable energy projects Wednesday, introducing sweeping new restrictions on what types of projects will be allowed on prime agricultural lands.Specifically, new wind and solar projects will only be allowed on Class 1 and Class 2 irragable lands if developers can demonstrate they can coexist with specific crops and livestock..“You cannot build wind turbines the size of the Calgary tower in front of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, or on Nose Hill or in your neighbor's backyard. We have a duty to protect the natural beauty and communities of our province.”Premier Danielle Smith.Also, wind projects in particular will be subject to a new — and admittedly arbitrary — ‘visual impact assessment’ to protect Alberta’s postcard vistas and impose 35 km buffer zones around scenic and protected areas.Predictably, Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault didn’t have much good to say. On Twitter (“X”) he posted a link to a map that suggests the 35 km limit effectively excludes 75% of Alberta.Also, developers will be required to put up abandonment liability funds for reclamation under an as-yet-to-be determined formula. Although it won’t be the same as those required for oil and gas, the basic principle will be the same in order to avoid ‘orphan wells 2.0’..Municipalities will also have a say on major projects in their regions and provided with resources to make appeal.Premier Danielle Smith and Utilities Minister Nathan Neudorf said the changes, which take effect on March 1, balance the interests of the energy industry, landowners and tourism..According to government figures, Alberta is home to more than 90% of the renewable power projects in the country apart from nuclear and hydro.“We've been doing the work to ensure that we have clear rules for the regulator, investors, municipalities and Alberta landowners. And having clear rules means that everyone knows we will prioritize our agricultural lands that means the AUC (Alberta Utilities Commission) will take an agriculture first approach when evaluating the best use of agricultural lands proposed for renewable development,” Smith said.“You cannot build wind turbines the size of the Calgary tower in front of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, or on Nose Hill or in your neighbor's backyard. We have a duty to protect the natural beauty and communities of our province.”.Many projects will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis to balance landowner rights with the needs of Albertans in a way that allows the industry to grow and investment dollars to put in. Presently there are about 26 projects in the queue that would be affected by the new rules.And contrary to assertions by federal politicians like Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault that the Smith government is trying to stifle renewable energy in favour of fossil fuels.“Let me be clear: There will be no blanket bans on specific types of land. Instead we are being responsible by ensuring that renewable energy projects do not sterilize agricultural lands,” Neudorf said. .In addition, new renewables will have to be backed by base-load generation such as natural gas to ensure adequate power when the sun isn’t shining and the wind isn’t blowing — which is exactly what occurred at 5 p.m. on January 13 when the temperature fell to -30C, the sun went down and wind was generating just 7 megawatts (mW) of more than 6,000 mW installed capacity.“They are not the silver bullet for Alberta's electricity needs and they are not the silver bullet of electricity affordability because each new development risks driving up the transmission costs and makes Alberta's utility bills even more expensive,” Smith said.The details of reclamation and abandonment liabilities need to be worked out but will generally follow the same principles as oil and gas — although Neudorf acknowledged that renewable projects vary in scope and the types of work that need to be done to restore sites.It may come in the form of a bond to be paid to the Alberta government or a negotiated payment to the landowner..Work will also continue to develop a coherent transmission policy after the former NDP government created what Smith called ”a mess” after it retired coal power six years early.And Neudorf said while Wednesday’s changes were largely aimed at protecting thee agricultural sector, the government is also working on policy to address rooftop solar in urban areas.
