By Alex McCuaig

Chamber president sees continued growth

Renewable energy sector growing in southeastern Alberta

Sep 28, 2020 | 1:19 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – With natural gas activity waning in southeastern Alberta and oil prices suffering, the renewable energy sector is still growing in the region.

A recent report by energy sector consultant Rystad Energy predicted Alberta will lead the nation in renewable energy production by 2025.

While some in the industry are skeptical about the timeline, they aren’t about the findings.

With southeastern Alberta home to the best solar resources in the country and ranks high in wind energy potential, Marcus Campbell, incoming president of the Medicine Hat & District Chamber of Commerce, says the region is well-positioned to take advantage of the benefits of the resources.

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“There has been a number of projects pop up and it supports the theories that we have the best solar and wind in Canada,” said Campbell. “I don’t see it stopping. I see it continuing well into 2025, 2030.”

Capital Power’s Whitla Project near Foremost completed last year is already planning for an expansion and so too is the Brooks Solar farm. There are also numerous projects either already approved or in the process of doing so through the provincial regulator, the Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO) in the Medicine Hat, Brooks and Empress reporting areas.

Those projects bring jobs to the city and region, says Campbell.

“The goal is that if a big project takes place, those people need a home to live in, they need a place to buy their groceries, they support our local economy,” said Campbell. “So the economic spin-offs are huge for the region.”

BluEarth Renewables is one of those companies investing in the region, recently announcing its purchase of the near-complete Suffield Solar Project and two other solar projects near Bow Island.

It’s a sign of things to come, based not just on the resource but the ability to move it, says the company’s president and CEO.

“Because of the resource, because of the transmission grid that’s already in place and a lot of interest from stakeholders is positive, we’ll see a lot of growth in Medicine Hat and southeastern Alberta and I would say it’s hard to put a number on it but it’s in the hundreds of megawatts,” said Grant Arnold. “I would expect that, over the next five years, to be more than that.”

Regional projects on the AESO project list include two potential 400-megawatt solar projects and one 450-megawatt wind farm.