At least one Alberta power company is taking the UCP government’s new wind power buffer zone requirements hard.That’s because Calgary-based TransAlta Corp. on Friday cancelled its proposed 300-megawatt (MW) Riplinger project near Cardston and put the brakes on three others pending the Alberta government’s electricity market restructuring.On a conference call, CEO John Kousinioris cited the imposition of 35-kilometre buffer zones around ecologically sensitive or aesthetically pleasing view scapes as the reason for cancelling the Riplinger project, which had been on the books since 2020 and was expected to come into service in 2027..The massive wind farm, with 47 turbines as tall as the Calgary Tower, was to be located on 14,000 acres of private land near Waterton National Park, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site.It was that particular project that had sparked very public opposition to wind farms near the mountain parks and ignited a fierce backlash against renewable energy. So much so, that the UCP government imposed a controversial moratorium on renewable energy projects in mid 2023.A group calling itself the Riplinger Wind Concerned Citizens gathered more than 1,000 paper signatures and 6,400 online petition supporters in an eight-week period.As part of the requirements for lifting it, the UCP imposed buffer zones that essentially block off the entire Eastern slopes from development.The company also shelved three other proposed developments: the 100 MW Tempest wind project near Camrose; the 180 MW WaterCharge battery storage project; and the 44 MW Pinnacle gas fired ‘peaking’ power plant.Kousinioris said those projects weren’t cancelled outright but are on hold pending the electricity market review.“Due to the near-term uncertainty stemming from the forthcoming market redesign, we’ve decided to pause the development of three advanced stage greenfield projects,” he said.
