By Charles Lefebvre

Cypress County updated on wind project progress

Feb 19, 2019 | 3:42 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB — A company planning to build a 200 megawatt wind energy project near Dunmore provided an update on their planning and progress to Cypress County council on Tuesday.

During the meeting Tuesday afternoon, representatives from EDF Renewables provided an update on the Cypress Wind Project to councillors.

“We hop to submit (applications) in March and April to Alberta Environment and Parks, and then slightly later to the Alberta Utilities Commission,” said Mark Gallagher, manager of development with EDF Renewables. “Then we would hope to have our permits by the end of the year.”

If the permits are approved, construction on the project would take place in the summer of 2020, before going online in June 2021.

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The Cypress Wind Project was announced by the provincial government in December 2018. EDF Renewables will be partnering with the Kainai First Nation to own the project.

It will be located approximately 20 kilometres southeast of Dunmore on 13,659 acres of land, and consist of 48 wind turbines.

The project will be able to generate 201.6 megawatts of power once it’s fully operational.

Gallagher says the company has consulted with local landowners since the project was announced.

“I think most people up in the area, if they’re not signed with us, they’re signed with one of two other developers,” he said. “There’s a real recognition that this is an extra source of revenue for them.”

Gallagher adds if approved, he expects the construction to provide significant economic benefit for the region.

“This project represents approximately $250 million in investment,” he said. “A significant portion of that will be spent with 50 to 100 miles of the actual project area.

“There’s going to be 250 construction jobs created at the peak, and there will be 10 permanent jobs, in operations and maintenance positions, after the project has gone operational.”

A third open house is tentatively scheduled to take place in Irvine on March 26 at the Irvine and District Agricultural Society (207 Francis Street) from 5-8 p.m. It will be the final open house before EDF Renewables submits its applications for the project.