TransAlta cancels wind power project over new government rules on development
A major Alberta utility has cancelled a large wind power project in response to new government rules on where such developments can be built.
TransAlta CEO John Kousinioris said Friday the 300-megawatt Riplinger project near Cardston in southern Alberta will no longer proceed.
"We've reassessed our growth plans in the province," he said in a conference call to analysts.
"(The project) has been impacted by the new restrictions on development near protected areas and pristine viewscapes and will not be advanced. The project has been removed from our growth pipeline."
TransAlta is also to put three other developments on hold, as the government goes through a redesign of the province's electricity market.
The 100-megawatt Tempest wind project south of Lethbridge is affected by that delay, as is the gas-fired, 44-megawatt Pinnacle generator west of Edmonton and the 180-megawatt WaterCharger battery storage facility near Cochrane.
"They have been placed on hold until we receive sufficient clarity," Kousinioris said.
In February, the United Conservative Party government announced new rules on the development of renewable power in the province. They impose a new 35-kilometre buffer zone around protected areas and what the government calls "pristine viewscapes."
Riplinger would have been about 45 kilometres by road from Waterton National Park and about 55 kilometres from Beauvais Lake Provincial Park.
Kousinioris said the Riplinger project would have been on the edge of an exclusion zone.
The rules followed a seven-month moratorium on renewable energy approvals after the government decided the industry was growing too quickly, threatening agriculture and marring Alberta's landscape.
Analysts disputed the need for those restrictions, saying renewable energy is well down on the list of threats to farmland.
It's the second setback this week for low-carbon energy generation in Alberta.
Electricity generator Capital Power announced Wednesday it would cancel plans for a $2.4-billion carbon capture and storage project for its natural gas facility near Edmonton.
CEO Avik Dey said the cost of the project was too high and the regulatory environment around it too uncertain to justify going ahead.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 3, 2024.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Decades-long fight': MPs unanimously pass 'anti-scab' legislation
A bill that would ban federal employers from using replacement workers or 'scabs' during lockouts or strikes passed the House of Commons unanimously on Monday.
Mike Tyson had medical issue on cross-country flight
Boxing legend Mike Tyson required medical attention after experiencing an 'ulcer flare up' toward the end of a cross-country flight Sunday, his representatives confirmed to the New York Post.
Why Canada's big grocery stores are under investigation
Amid mounting outrage over high grocery prices, a retail expert says there's a solution to fostering more competition in the country.
What a CBSA strike could look like, according to an expert
Slowed or interrupted travel, the passing of goods and significantly restricted borders should be expected if Canadian border workers take upcoming strike action.
WATCH Alta. man rescues wild foal trapped on steep cliffside
A man's daring rescue of a newborn wild foal that was trapped after falling down a steep embankment was caught on video over the weekend.
Arrests made in 'highly orchestrated' GTA auto theft operation: police
Peel Regional Police say they have arrested 16 suspects and issued arrest warrant for another 10 individuals in connection with an auto theft investigation carried out by a 'highly orchestrated criminal operation.'
Cattle rustling comes to Quebec as police investigate suspected theft of entire herd
Quebec provincial police are investigating after an entire herd of about 75 cattle were allegedly stolen in the Eastern Townships region last week.
B.C. senior prepares to move due to devastating effects of fraud
A Courtenay, B.C., senior is downsizing and packing to move as she comes to accept she can no longer afford to stay in her home, after falling victim to a scam that robbed her of her life savings worth more than $100,000.
Netanyahu acknowledges 'tragic mistake' after Rafah strike kills dozens of Palestinians
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu acknowledged Monday that a "tragic mistake" had been made after an Israeli strike in the southern Gaza city of Rafah set fire to a tent camp housing displaced Palestinians and, according to local officials, killed at least 45 people.