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Salt Flats Solar Farm - Approvals for solar power plants in Alberta are governed by the Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC}. Municipalities’ power to approve a power plant is limited to items that are not governed by the AUC. Typically these are setbacks from roads, reasonable setbacks from other uses, spacing of the array rows for firefighting, implementation and control of ground cover (weed-free), screening where necessary and a drainage plan. Gavin Scott, Senior Planner for the ORRSC made recommendations for all the items under the municipalities power to approve. Some of the recommendations are: Screening consisting of a double row of trees and berm to minimize the visual impacts. Fencing is to be kept clear of garbage and weeds throughout the year. post-construction decommissioning and reclamation plan as required by the Conservation and Reclamation Directive for Renewable Energy Operations a Fire and Emergency Response plan prepared by a qualified professional and approved by the City of Brooks Emergency Services That the developer abide by any request provided by the Eastern Irrigation District regarding any facility they may have within the development site.
The developer and AUC will be notified of the need to make application for a development approval of the proposed solar farm. When a complete application has been received, a public hearing date will be set. Following the public hearing, Council will then decide upon the conditions of the permit. According to a report from PACE Canada LP, the developer proposing the Salt Flats Solar Farm, the project will generate slightly more than 1/3rd of the City of Brooks annual electricity needs. The project will use existing Fortis infrastructure. The report also includes rationale for the Salt Flats as a suitable solar farm location. Below are some highlights, the full report can be found here: The proposed lands for the Salt Flats solar development have constraints that make standard development challenging for multiple reasons: There is a significant slough/wetland feature in the northwest corner of the Plan area that will have to be developed around. Land has high groundwater levels that would require significant infilling to support development and foundation construction. The City of Brooks sanitary collection system currently lacks adequate capacity to carry more flows from new development without expensive infrastructure upgrades.
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