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Vulcan County’s Municipal Planning Fee (MPC) has permitted a improvement allow for a photo voltaic power challenge northwest of Mossleigh.
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Georgetown Photo voltaic Inc’s 230-megawatt challenge, in addition to a battery storage element, was permitted through the January 11 MPC assembly.
The deliberate format of the positioning contains roughly 433,000 bifacial photo voltaic panel modules on fastened tilt racking, a battery power storage website consisting of 84 power storage containers for lithium-ion phosphate batteries, 21 energy conversion stations every with two inverters and a transformer, and two auxiliaries. transformers, reads a report. The challenge is positioned in seven quarter sections.
The solar energy plant utility additionally contains the development and operation of a brand new Mossleigh substation, which will probably be positioned within the northwest nook of the challenge boundary.
“The substation and associated elements will not be one thing our improvement authority has thought of and due to this fact this utility is not legitimate,” Alena Matlock, Vulcan County’s improvement officer, wrote within the report.
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The challenge covers roughly 1,100 hectares of land, however solely 547 hectares will probably be a part of the challenge’s everlasting footprint. Areas housing the photo voltaic farm infrastructure will probably be fenced off from the remainder of the positioning, Matlock wrote.
Georgetown Photo voltaic utilized to the Alberta Utilities Fee in March 2022 and obtained approval for the challenge in Nov. 2.
Vulcan County participated within the listening to in a “restricted capability” and raised considerations about soil erosion and weed management, Matlock wrote.
“Vulcan County’s expertise so far within the renewable power improvement sphere appears to have recurring and particular points, significantly with soil erosion and weed management,” Matlock wrote.
Georgetown is dedicated to particular erosion and weed management measures in its conservation and reclamation plan, he mentioned.
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“Soils will probably be shielded from erosion, earlier than and through development, by retaining the stays of crops/stumps, the place development visitors will drive,” mentioned Georgetown Photo voltaic. “A stubble evaluation is accomplished after the crops are harvested to find out if there may be sufficient stubble left or if a canopy crop must be seeded to extend soil safety. In restricted circumstances the place soils have to be disturbed, salvaged and conserved, soils may be protected by momentary replanting with annual species, erosion management blankets or any mixture of abrasion management strategies. as a system applicable to the state of affairs.”
Georgetown Photo voltaic did in depth public session for this utility, Matlock wrote.
“Stakeholder considerations are about weed administration and management, decommissioning and reclamation, elevated visitors, dangers to human or livestock well being, environmental impacts, and visible/aesthetic impacts. . On the finish of their public session interval 5 of the estimated 23 landowner individuals said that Georgetown’s responses didn’t adequately tackle considerations in regards to the location of the challenge.
