MOUNTAIN VIEW COUNTY - County council considered a use bylaw amendment regarding distributed energy resource (DER) projects approved by the Alberta Utilities Commission within the municipality.
The move came during the Feb. 23 council meeting, and also included the setting of the public hearing date for the proposal.
DER facilities are small power plants that use oil and gas facilities to generate electricity of 10 megawatts or less. They connect to local electrical distribution systems.
In January, the county received a development permit application for an Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC)-approved DER facility.
The proposed land use bylaw change would amend the current utility services, minor infrastructure section to include local electric power generation stations.
Specifically administration proposes to amend the bylaw to accommodate Alberta Energy Regulator facilities within the existing definition of utility services, minor infrastructure to include DER facilities that received AUC approval prior to submission of applications.
It would add utility services, minor infrastructure as a permitted use within agricultural and agricultural (2) districts, and move the existing utilities services, minor infrastructure in the airport district from discretionary to permitted use. The use will remain as a permitted use in the business industrial, local commercial, institutional, and park and recreation districts.
The updated section would read in part, that an “application for development permit for utility services shall include a site plan, including the following information: articulate the steps taken to prove that the site location has the least impact on agricultural land; and the site boundary.
During the Feb. 23 council meeting, Coun. Jennifer Lutz asked administration what the process will be for landowners adjacent to proposed DERs to express noise concerns.
Margaretha Bloem, director of planning, said, “As part of the AUC’s approvals process, there is a complete public participation as part of their approval. They do require technical details from each applicant requiring them to engage the surrounding landowners, make contact with the municipality, and provide all of the technical components depending on what is being proposed (including involving noise generation).
“The AUC does have standards in regard to noise generation that an application must meet before they approve it.”
Coun. Peggy Johnson said as part of the public hearing process a “robust explanation of how nearby landowners are notified, how their concerns are heard, and what the appeal process is should there be concerns after the fact” should be brought forward.
Bloem replied that the AUC does have an appeal process, “so I will bring that information forward as part of the public hearing.”
Council gave first reading to the proposed bylaw amendment and set the public hearing for March 23.
