Heartland power line opponents now have a date to aim for: April 11, 2011.
The Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC) published a report Monday outlining the schedule for next year's hearing on the Heartland Transmission Project.
Line builders AltaLink and Epcor have proposed to build a 500-kilovolt double-circuit power line across Sturgeon County along one of two routes, plus an associated 240-kilovolt line and substation. The line has been designated critical infrastructure under Bill 50, meaning it will not be subject to a needs assessment hearing.
Studies by the Alberta Electric System Operator suggest the line is mainly needed to support future growth in the Alberta Industrial Heartland region, particularly in the oilsands sector. Line opponents, such as the Industrial Power Consumers Association of Alberta, disagree, saying the line is bigger than needed and would greatly raise electricity prices.
Groups such as Responsible Electricity Transmission for Albertans (RETA) argued against the line at a process hearing on Nov. 2, saying that it would devalue property and pose a health risk to residents. Line proponents disagree, and say those risks are minimal.
The commission has heard from these groups, said AUC spokesperson Jim Law, and determined that the best time for a hearing would be April 11, 2011. They've yet to determine its location, but said it would be someplace central and neutral.
The hearing will weigh many elements in its judgment on the line's route, Law said, including health, environmental and economic impacts. It will also look at line burial and pole type. The need for the line will not be considered, as that's already been determined by Bill 50.
Save the date
The AUC will announce the precise time and place of the hearing in January, Law said. Anyone who wants to make a written or verbal presentation to the commission needs to register before next Feb. 28, after which the commission will release the times and places for those presentations.
The commission formally granted standing to about 188 groups in its report, including RETA, Sturgeon County and Parkland County. Those groups now have until Dec. 1 to grill AltaLink and Epcor for information to assemble their cases. Roughly 200 other groups need to send in more information by Nov. 15 before the commission can rule on their standing.
Law said he wasn't sure how long the hearing would last, but did note that it would have a large number of interveners. "We'd certainly expect it to last several weeks."
Full details can be found at www.aub.ab.ca.
