Airport City
Solar
Project
Project
Information
Project Information
The Airport City Solar Project is a 112 MW solar energy facility situated on 627 acres of industrially zoned land located on the west side of the Edmonton International Airport. Project infrastructure will consist of solar photovoltaic (PV) panels, racking systems, internal access roads, underground collection lines, electrical inverters, two switching stations, and a perimeter fence.
Project Details
|
Owner |
Alpin Sun |
|
Name |
Airport City Solar |
|
Location |
Edmonton International Airport |
|
Size |
112 MW |
|
Duration |
35+ Years |
|
Interconnection |
FortisAlberta |
Airport City Solar will help Alberta meet its environmental obligations and climate change commitments by generating 100% clean energy for potential use by the Edmonton Airports and its tenants, as well as potentially for commercial enterprises and residents located in the surrounding area.
Project Area
Land Cover
Community
Benefits
Community Benefits
Construction will employ 120 workers for a year, with up to 250 workers at its peak.
The 112 MW facility will generate approximately 217,000 MWh per year.
Alpin Sun estimates that annual production of 217,000 MWh will result in an annual offset of an estimated 106,000 tonnes of CO2.
About
Proponent
About Proponent
About Alpin Sun
Alpin Sun is a European-based renewable energy company active in the development, construction, operation and ownership of solar projects throughout the United States, Europe and Canada. Alpin Sun has more than 10 years of experience developing solar projects.
Alpin Sun’s North American development portfolio includes more than 3 GW of solar projects located in Texas, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Alberta.
Meet the Team - Proponent
Adrian Ioance
VP Business
Development,
Alpin Sun
Fred Null
Director of
Project
Development,
Alpin Sun
Valentina Ion
Head of Project
Development,
Alpin Sun
Project Host - Edmonton International Airport
Leslie Kwasny
Executive Lead
Raelyn Kruitbosch
EIA Project Lead
Chelsey Quirk
Indigenous Consultation Lead
Dean Ervin / Dave Kuny
Operations Lead
Roger Steele
Technical and Environmental Lead
Ellie Scott
Leasing lead
DNV – Environmental and Permitting Consultant
Michelle Murphy
Project Manager and Permitting Lead
Frederic Gagnon
Impact
Assessment Lead
Gabriel Constantin
Project Sponsor
Stakeholder &
Agency Consultation
Stakeholder & Agency Consultation
Stakeholder Consultation
Alpin Sun is committed to effective and ongoing stakeholder consultation.
Regulatory Requirements
- Stakeholder consultation for the Airport City Solar Project has fulfilled the requirements of both the Impact Assessment Act (IAA) and AUC Rule 007.
- As part of the federal IAA process, a public notice for the project was posted in December 2020. A link to the public notice posting is provided here.
Project Stakeholders
- Occupants, landowners or residents within proximity to the project – personal consultation is required for landowners within 400 m of project boundary
- Local community members
- Indigenous groups
- Regulatory agencies
Stakeholder Engagement Principles
Trust
Respect
Communication
Inclusivity
Transparency
Accountability
Agency Consultation
Alpin Sun is a firm believer in early, proactive, and transparent engagement with regulatory agencies throughout the project development process. As a result, engagement with applicable regulatory agencies has been underway since early 2020.
Indigenous Consultation
Indigenous consultation was initiated in Fall 2020 and led by the Edmonton Airports.
Activities completed to date include:
- Traditional Land Use study site visits
- Sharing of project information including layout, preliminary results of environmental studies, etc.
- Additional site visits with tour of Airport City Sustainability Campus
Next Steps:
Ongoing communications
with Indigenous groups
Regulatory
Process
Regulatory Process
Regulatory Process
The project will obtain all required local, provincial and federal permits/approvals prior to the commencement of construction. A summary of the key regulatory requirements for the project is provided below.
Impact Assessment Act Approval
Airport City Solar is a development located on federally-designated land and thus subject to the Impact Assessment Act (IAA), which requires that environmental, health, social and economic impacts are evaluated and assessed by the Impact Assessment Agency (IAA) or its delegate.
AUC Rule 007 and 012 Approval
In addition to the federal IAA, the project is subject to AUC Rule 007 and 012, which outlines the application requirements for power plants, including solar energy projects.
Land Use Approval
NAV CANADA requires that solar projects submit a land use submission form, as well as a glint and glare assessment, to evaluate potential impacts to navigation safety.
Historical Resources Act Approval
The project is required to obtain clearance from Historic Resources Management Branch (HRMB) prior to ground disturbance activities being completed.
Leduc County Development Permit
The Leduc County Land Use Bylaw requires that the project obtain a development permit prior to construction.
Interconnection
High Level Studies with Fortis Alberta are complete. Proceeding toward further interconnection studies as required by AESO.
Facility Alteration Permit (FAP)
The Edmonton International Airport requires that the project obtain a Facility Alteration Permit prior to construction.
What Goes Into the Regulatory Applications?
- Project information
- Feedback from stakeholder and Indigenous Consultation
- Feedback from regulatory consultation
-
Environmental
Assessment, including
mitigations
for:
- Wildlife and wildlife habitat including birds
- Vegetation
- Surface water (watercourses and wetlands in the project and surrounding areas)
- Soils
- Air quality including dust control during construction
- Noise – during construction and operation of the project
- Decommissioning and reclamation plans
- Glint and Glare
- Interconnection studies
The results of all studies and the mitigations planned were made available to the public at the time of the Rule 007 Alberta Utilities Commission submission.
Studies
Studies
Environmental Studies
Pre-construction environmental studies were completed for the project from May to August 2020 in accordance with provincial and federal requirements.
Breeding Bird Surveys
Two rounds
May 29, 2020 and
June 18, 2020
Raptor Nest Surveys
June 18, 2020
Amphibian Call Surveys
Three rounds
May 20, 2020,
May 28, 2020 and
June 4, 2020
Wetland Assessments
June 4-7, 2020
Vegetation Inventory and Rare Plant Surveys
Two rounds
June 4-7, 2020
and August 19,
2020
The results of
these surveys
have been used
to inform the
design of the
project layout
through
avoidance of
environmentally
sensitive
features.
Field survey findings including project-specific mitigation are presented in the Impact Assessment Report that was submitted to the Edmonton Airports May 2022.
Technical Studies
To fulfill regulatory requirements and inform the overall design, several technical studies have been completed for the project.
Noise Assessment
A noise impact assessment summary form for the project was completed April 2022 in accordance with AUC Rule 012.
Historical Resource Assessment
A historical
resource
assessment was
completed in
June 2020.
Historical
Resources Act
approval was
granted for the
project in
August 2020.
Glare Assessment
Glare hazard
analysis was
completed in
September 2022
to evaluate the
potential for
glare being
observed at
nearby
residences,
flight paths,
and
taxiways.
NAV CANADA was
consulted to
ensure that
navigation
safety was
thoroughly
considered.
Interconnection
Preliminary &
High-Level
Studies with
Fortis Alberta
are complete
Proceeding
towards detailed
interconnection
studies as
required by AESO
Proposed
Timeline
Proposed Timeline
May 2022
IAA Report Submission
December 2022
AUC Rule 007 Application Submission
June 2023
AUC Rule 007 Hearing
Q3 2023
Construction Start
Q4 2024
Commercial Operations
October 2022
Approval Received
January 2023
AUC Rule 007 Proceeding Start
Q3 2023
AUC Rule 007 Decision
Q3 2024
Construction End
May 2022
IAA Report Submission
October 2022
Approval Received
December 2022
AUC Rule 007 Application Submission
January 2023
AUC Rule 007 Proceeding Start
June 2023
AUC Rule 007 Hearing
Q3 2023
AUC Rule 007 Decision
Q3 2023
Construction Start
Q3 2024
Construction End
Q4 2024
Commercial Operations
Contact
Us
Contact us
Please reach out to us via email if you have any additional questions, concerns or feedback on the project:
We look forward to hearing from you!
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