A 25-megawatt solar project slated for private property southeast of Stettler continues to work its way through the approvals process.
The proposed Stettler Solar and Storage Project, if completed, will sit on private land roughly two kilometres southeast of the community in the northeast and northeast quarters of 20-38-19-W4, connecting to the grid with a nearby ATCO Electric connection.
According to the release announcing the update, the project will be capable of powering around 10,0000 homes and displacing around 38,000 tonnes of CO2 annually, or around one million tonnes over the life of the project.
Based on technical and other feedback, some changes have been made to the project.
The ATCO connection will now occur on an east-west existing line running along Township 384, and the 16-megawatt storage battery planned for the site is now moved into the middle of the site to cut down on noise.
Due to being on Class 2 soils, a portion of the southwest corner of the project has been removed and the fence-line adjusted to accommodate the new footprint.
The changes come about as a result of feedback and from the renewables moratorium that ran from Aug.3, 2023 through February 2024.
Project developers are working to develop an emergency response plan for the proposed site, which will be distributed to regional emergency services personnel for feedback on completion.
A study submitted to Alberta Environment and Protected Areas was returned to developers in January of 2024 finding that the project was a 'low risk' for affecting wildlife habitat.
Project developers are currently undertaking steps to submit the project to the Alberta Utilities Commission, which approves all utility projects in the province, for approval in the third quarter of 2024.
There will be an open house by developers on Aug. 7 between 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. for people to give feedback and ask questions about the project at the Stettler Community Hall.
The project will be made up of around 72,000 panels and have a total footprint of around 180 acres.
If all approvals go through, the project is expected to be operational during the first half of 2026.
