Energy News
Alberta government crosses its wires on transmission hearings
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- Category: News
- Written by Jim Bentein
For at least a few hours on Oct. 21, Bruce Johnson was having a great day. In fact, the head of a group that has fought plans for the mammoth Heartland transmission project was jubilant after hearing of the provincial government's apparent decision to put Heartland and two other massive transmission projects on the back-burner.
That morning, Alberta Energy Minister Ted Morton had sent a letter to the Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC) asking it to "suspend or adjourn" the approval process for three proposed lines—the Heartland and two north-south lines—that have raised concerns for many Albertans, especially in rural areas.
In response to Morton's letter, the AUC, responsible for overseeing the review process for all transmission lines in the province, announced that it was suspending the process for Heartland, as well as for the Western Alberta Transmission Line (WATL) and the Eastern Alberta Transmission Line (EATL).
In a press release announcing the decision, the AUC said it would do so "at the request of the Alberta government to allow the government to consider its overall approach to critical transmission infrastructure."
Johnson was quick to praise Morton for suspending the review process for Heartland and the two other large-scale transmission projects. He is president of Responsible Electricity Transmission for Albertans (RETA), an Edmonton-area non-profit organization that has fought the proposed $585-million Heartland line tooth-and-nail largely because it believes the project would represent a costly overbuild and could have potential health and environmental impacts.
"I think this is a very good step forward and I would like to thank Ted Morton," Johnson told Energize Alberta at the time. That was Friday at noon. A few hours later he was livid and puzzled after hearing that Alberta Premier Alison Redford had abruptly altered Morton's request, saying the Heartland process should proceed as planned. The suspension of proceedings for both the WATL and EATL will remain in effect.
An about-face
Speaking with reporters in Calgary later that day, Redford said she was "surprised to see [Morton's] letter, quite frankly," noting how she had described the Heartland line as "critical" during her leadership campaign.
"We will be reversing our request to the AUC to delay releasing of the [Heartland] decision."
The hearing into the Heartland project, which is to run from the Wabamun area to the industrial heartland near Edmonton, was held this past summer. There was so much public opposition to the project—from RETA and other groups—it became a political issue in the recent race for the leadership of the governing Progressive Conservative Party.
Redford pledged during the race to review the government's plan to greatly expand the province's power transmission infrastructure, which appears to be what led to Morton's pronouncement, made in the letter sent to the AUC.
However, just hours after Morton had sent his letter to the commission, Redford said the government had reversed the Heartland decision, saying Morton's letter was the results of a "miscommunication."
"I believe [Heartland] is a critical transmission project, it is important to the economic development of the province, it is important in terms of economic impact and that's been my consistent stance," she told reporters.
Good day gone bad
Not surprisingly, Johnson and RETA were less than pleased with Redford's decision to overturn Morton's request.
"Has something else transpired since Alison Redford shot her energy minister in the knees?" Johnson wonders. His anti-Heartland group sees the government's waffling as a sign of confusion "among a new team of people," alluding to Redford and her new cabinet.
"I can imagine there are some interesting things happening between Alison and Ted," he says, adding that the earlier decision by Morton had led him to believe "the government was finally doing something sensible."
The AUC had planned to hand down a decision on Heartland on Oct. 24 and would have held public hearings on WATL on Nov. 7 and on EATL in January. While the hearings on the latter two projects have been deferred, AUC spokesman Jim Law confirmed that the final decision on Heartland will be rendered as soon as possible.
Bart Johnson, a spokesman for the Department of Energy, says Morton's letter wasn't disputing the decision by the Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO)—which oversees transmission as part of its role of ensuring Albertans have adequate electricity going forward—to include Heartland, EATL and WATL and 50 other transmission projects on a list of $13.5 billion worth of "critical" expansions required over the next 20 years.
"There's no question additional transmission is needed," he says. "The issue is the process and determining the right approach."
AESO stands firm
AESO spokesperson Dawn Delaney says the organization never viewed Morton's decision as the death knell of Heartland or any other transmission projects seen as necessary given forecasts Alberta's population could increase by at least 1.5 million over the next 20 years, while its gross domestic product doubles.
"From AESO's perspective it continues to be business as usual," she says. "The need for reinforcing the transmission system clearly remains."
She notes that the transmission lines were a key element of AESO's Long-Term Transmission System Plan, which it produced in 2009. The Alberta government subsequently passed Bill 50, which deemed Heartland, EATL and WATL "critical" infrastructure, along with some other lines.
"The fact is these lines are absolutely needed," Delaney maintains, adding that the two projects that are still subject to Morton's request might still be able to proceed on schedule if the review process doesn't drag on too long.
If approved, Heartland is scheduled to go into service in the winter of 2013, with EATL and WATL following the next year.
Heartland consists of a substation and 500-kilovolt and 240-kilovolt transmission lines, while WATL would involve a 500-kilovolt direct current transmission line and associated substations and EATL would include a 500-kilovolt direct current line, associated converter stations and 240-kilovolt lines. WATL would run from the Genesee area near Edmonton to Calgary and EATL would run from Gibbons, northeast of Edmonton, to Brooks, Alta.
In addition to the three projects, there are two proposed 500-kilovolt lines planned for the Fort McMurray area that were deemed critical under AESO's plan.
AESO forecasts that the demand for power in Alberta, largely as a result of oilsands and other energy-related development, will double in the next 20 years, as it has over the last 20. On any given day, Alberta currently consumes between 8,000-11,000 megawatts of power out of a total generating capacity of about 13.500 megawatts.
RETA's Johnson argues that neither AESO nor utility providers in Alberta are looking at alternatives to large power generation facilities and huge transmission projects, saying current transmission plans are "ludicrous."
He says utilities should be doing more to encourage the development of district energy generation, located closer to consumers, and that the power sector should be doing more to boost conservation, which would reduce the need for new generation and transmission.
