By Geoff Smith (@smithco on Twitter)

MD of Taber to hear from solar proponents, landowners

Sep 29, 2016 | 9:19 AM

The backers of three proposed solar farms in the MD of Taber will appear at an upcoming council meeting to address concerns about one of the projects.

C&B Alberta Solar (CBA), a joint venture of Canadian Solar Solutions Inc. and Bowmont Capital and Advisory Ltd., is proposing to build solar power generating sites five kilometres north of Taber, as well as near Vauxhall and Hays.

MD of Taber chief administrative officer Derrick Krizsan explains there are 40 residential properties within a short distance of the Taber site, and 25 of them are immediately adjacent to it. Delegations representing property owners appear on the Oct. 11 meeting agenda, along with CBA, which was invited.

“To date the only information council has received is the same information the adjacent landowners have received,” Krizsan said. He added the company hasn’t applied for development permits yet, which would be the MD’s only role in the process.

The proposals are before the Alberta Utilities Commission. The process includes gathering environmental studies and information on the noise impact, though little noise is expected by the company.

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CBA says the Taber project would generate 22 megawatts of alternating current, and so would the Hays site. The Vauxhall site would generate 16 megawatts. According to a newsletter sent to landowners, the Taber project would generate enough electricity in a year to power 6,000 homes.

Among the benefits CBA cites are construction jobs (estimated to reach 270 at the peak of Taber construction), tax revenue for the MD, and clean energy that reduces greenhouse gas emissions.