About 35 people made their way to the AltaLink open house in Innisfail last Tuesday to learn about the preferred and alternative routes for new transmission-line upgrades in the region.“We need to reinforce the system,” said Robin Boschman, a senior communications adviser for AltaLink.New substations and transmission lines are proposed for Innisfail, Didsbury and Ponoka.Innisfail would be getting about 14 kilometres of new transmission line and Didsbury would be getting about 2 km. AltaLink was in Innisfail as part of the public consultation process to get feedback on preferred and alternative sites and routes.According to AltaLink's map, the preferred substation site for Innisfail is southeast of town while the alternative is to the northeast. Both would be about 6 km east of Innisfail and connect with the existing substation 1 km west of Innisfail.Fourteen kilometres of new transmission line would be installed to link the sites while 25 km of existing transmission line would be removed between Red Deer and Innisfail.Didsbury's new substation is proposed to be 7 km northwest of the town. Less than 2 km of transmission line would be needed to connect it to the system. The current switching station and transmission lines would be removed if the substation is approved. No alternative route was listed on the maps.Both Didsbury and Innisfail would be getting new telecommunications towers if the projects are approved.Boschman said the routes were chosen “to try and find the lowest overall impact route.” She said this includes factors such as affects on agriculture, cost, environment and stakeholder input.She said the attendance at the open house was “OK” but said any event where people come out is a success.“People come in and they have questions about their land,” she said. She added people are interested in the direct impacts and benefits the new system would have on them.The Red Deer area development, which encompasses the Innisfail and Didsbury upgrades, is estimated to cost $200 million.“That represents about 20 cents a month on an average residential utility bill,” Boschman said.Boschman said public consultation on the routes will continue and AltaLink hopes to file an application with the Alberta Utilities Commission for the project in spring or summer, with construction potentially starting in 2013 if the project is approved.Gert Lund attended the open house and said he appreciated the consultation though he's “strongly opposed” to the project.“We're potentially being impacted by the alternative route,” he said. He runs a certified organic farming operation, Lund's Organic Farm, about 1.5 km northeast of Innisfail and is concerned about construction and repairs to the transmission lines interacting with his land.“Its potential impact could be losing our certification,” he said, adding it could take up to three years to get another organic certification.Lund's take on the consultation process was “clarification is always good.”More information about the Red Deer area transmission project is available online at www.altalink.ca/reddeer. Input can be provided to AltaLink online by emailing [email protected] or by phoning 1-855-520-1923.
