A 600-hectare solar energy project near Frank Lake has been denied for posing a high risk to wildlife in the area.
The 150-megawatt Foothills Solar Project called for about 435,000 solar panels, a substation and access roads to be built near the hamlet of Blackie in Foothills County. Much of the project footprint would have been within one kilometre of the Frank Lake Important Bird Area (IBA).
On April 20, the Alberta Utility Commission (AUC) denied the application from Foothills Solar GP, citing the project’s potential to cause high mortality to birds and harm habitat in the IBA.
“The commission finds the project poses an unacceptably high risk to the environment and is not in the public interest,” said the AUC decision.
Biologist Greg Wagner, who has been the volunteer caretaker at the Frank Lake IBA for 11 years, was one of several individuals and groups opposed to the project.
In an interview, Wagner said Frank Lake is an internationally-known birding destination and a productive wetland for birds.
“It’s the most important wetland for birds in southwest Alberta,” Wagner said.
In its decision, the AUC notes 256 bird species, including 60 species at risk, are known to visit the area.
Wagner also said the area is a popular destination for birdwatchers and other nature enthusiasts.
“It’s one of the major birding hot spots in Canada, and it draws international visitors,” he said.
Frank Lake Concerned Citizens (FLCC), a group of local residents, landowners and others, also spoke out against the project, as did the municipality of Foothills County, within whose boundaries the project was proposed.
The County argued the project does not meet requirements of its land use bylaw and raised concerns about eventual land reclamation and decommissioning of the project.
Foothills Solar GP, a subsidiary of Elemental Energy Renewables Inc., planned the project. Construction was expected to begin this summer and be complete by late 2024.
The company said there would be several benefits to the solar project, including reduced greenhouse gas emissions and local economic spin-offs, but the AUC found the negative impacts outweighed the benefits in this case.
In its decision, the AUC said the application was denied in accordance with sections 11, 14, 15 and 19 of the Hydro and Electric Energy Act.
Elemental Energy plans to develop a 19-megawatt solar project north of High River later this year.
