Alberta’s energy regulator will hold a public hearing about a proposed liquefied natural gas plant near Villeneuve – one some local residents fear could threaten their lives.
The Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) announced last week that it would hold a public hearing to address concerns surrounding a liquefied natural gas plant near Villeneuve proposed by Ferus Natural Gas Fuels Inc.
AER hearings are binding, quasi-judicial affairs during which parties present evidence in support of their positions, often with the help of lawyers, and can cross-examine each other. They often result in conditions imposed on a project to address concerns raised by participants in the hearing.
If built, the Ferus plant would take natural gas from a neighbouring Atco gas plant, chill it to about -160 C to condense it into a non-corrosive, non-toxic liquid, and then ship it in tanker trucks to distribution centres.
Documents provided by Ferus suggest that the plant would ship 12 tanker-trucks of gas per day at full build-out, although information provided by county development officer Colin Krywiak suggests it could get up to 20 trucks a day.
Ferus applied to build the $50-million plant in Sturgeon County earlier this year. County residents filed statements of concern with the AER (which has authority over such projects), citing concerns about heavy truck traffic, noise, and the risk of explosions.
County council also opposed the project, arguing that it should go into the Alberta Industrial Heartland region instead.
Ferus has spent the last few months working with residents to address their concerns, said company vice-president Travis Balaski. But about 21 of the 27 letters of concern filed with the AER are still unresolved.
Jim Ellis, chief administrative officer of the AER, called for a public hearing on the matter on Oct. 28 as a result.
“We have many processes designed to address stakeholders’ concerns with oil and gas development in Alberta, including appropriate dispute resolution, that have a high success rate in resolving and mitigating concerns,” Ellis said in a press release.
“But when there are directly and adversely affected Albertans whose issues remain unresolved, we will call a public hearing.”
Some of the outstanding issues include noise, pollution and traffic.
Area resident Jeannine Boddez said the Atco gas plant next to the proposed Ferus one was already in breach of the noise conditions imposed on it by the AER’s predecessor in 1995. The Ferus one would make the situation worse.
“My daughter, she can’t have her windows open many nights as it’s so loud.”
The proposed plant would also eliminate a tree stand that the AER’s predecessor (the Energy and Utilities Board) said had to remain for screening purposes, Boddez said.
Balaski said the plant would meet all provincial requirements for noise and air pollution and employ dust control measures. Ferus also plans to have all its trucks operate to the north of the plant, as most of the statements of concerns were from residents who lived south of it.
County council is standing with its residents in opposition to this project, said Mayor Tom Flynn.
“We don’t really want to have that facility there. We’ve zoned a bunch of land in the Industrial Heartland where those kinds of developments, in our mind, should be.”
The AER is now assembling a panel to conduct the hearing. It has yet to announce a date for it.
Flynn said he was pleased by the regulator’s decision to call a hearing.
“It’s somebody independent looking at the question.”
Visit aer.ca for more on the hearing.
