Frequently Asked Questions

The area was chosen due to its large open agricultural lands, favourable wind resource, and relatively close access to the bulk transmission system to the north. Consultation meetings with the County, landowners and local community also supported the potential for a viable wind project in the area. It is also important to note that the Government of Alberta, through Alberta Environment and Parks (AEP), has set regulations and guidelines for preferred wind farm site screening, and these guidelines were used to site this wind farm project, as the area meets many of the recommended screening criteria.

The project covers approximately 17,500 acres of private land. Only a few hundred acres will be permanently removed from cultivation once the Project is complete. The remaining acreage is free for other uses, such as farming or ranching.

The AEP guidelines strongly discourage development on native prairie and grassland pastureland for wind farms due to the much higher environmental and ecological value of such lands. Crown lands across the province do not presently have policy in place for the development of wind farm projects, and therefore no wind farm development is currently allowed.

We are committed to open and transparent consultation with all relevant stakeholders, and in accordance with the regulations for Project consultation outlined by the Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC) in its Rule 007, Appendix A1. The objective of good consultation is to provide stakeholders with clear and timely information about the Project, and with sufficient opportunity to respond and make inquiries or to offer specific input to guide and update the development process. Feedback is always assessed and reviewed, and a response will always be provided. Where practical and viable for the Project design, changes to Project planning will be implemented based on the feedback received.

In September 2018, some initial consultation was initiated with landowners for the Project. A more formal notification and consultation list was updated and prepared leading up to the first open house, held on March 27th, 2019. The list continues to be vetted and updated and will be used again for future mail outs or invitations leading up to the final open house which is planned to be held before Project application submission to the AUC. All occupants, residents and landowners within 2km of the Project area will be notified by mail of any Project changes or updates, and everyone within 800m will be directly consulted on the final Project plan prior to AUC submission.

Finally, this Project website has been published for the public to get the most up-to-date information as well as submit questions or comments. Project information is regularly updated at this website and is available for all to access.

The Project will provide many local community benefits. Firstly, the project will generate over $1 million in annual payments to local farmers and landowners as well as several million a year in local county property taxes. These revenues are reinvested locally through business and property investments by landowners and county revenues that offset other budgetary needs, and future tax increases. During the 18 month construction period, hundreds of construction jobs will be generated, and raw materials and labour will be sourced locally whenever possible. Once completed, over a dozen long-term, well-paid jobs will be created for site management and maintenance. Furthermore, a community vibrancy fund has been established to provide further benefit through long-term funding of initiatives within the local community. In addition, a Green Option Program has been released which is anticipated to contribute more than a million dollars to landowners living within 2km of a Buffalo Plains wind turbine over the lifspan of the Project. Details of the vibrancy fund and green option program can be found in the resources section.

The Preliminary layout sited 5 turbines within 2km of the town limits of Lomond, with the closest turbine at roughly 1100m (T-30) from the town limits.

After consulation and in respone to the feedback from the community Buffalo Plain has implemented a two kilometre setback from the residential zoned areas in the Village of Lomond. This included removal or relocation of several turbine locatons.

Over the past decade, many studies have been done reviewing the potential for any relation between turbine noise (and more generally, industrial noise) and human health. A number of these studies can be found on the right in the resource section. A recent Health Canada study published in 2014 reviewed health surveys for more than 1200 residents living near wind turbines in PEI and Ontario. The study concluded that no evidence exists to support a direct link between turbine noise and human health. The study is available online via the link on the project website or directly at the following website: www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/environmental-workplace-health/noise/wind-turbine-noise.html.

The research consensus has more broadly concluded that some aspects of wind turbines, such as view and noise, can cause some people to feel a sense of annoyance. This annoyance impact can, in some cases, lead to some generalized health symptoms such as heightened stress and poor sleep. Interestingly, the research shows that annoyance is more directly related to the visual impact of wind turbines, more than to noise. Consultation, careful siting and compliance with noise regulation all mitigate the risk of annoyance to the general public.

It is also worth noting that the Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC) Rule 012 has developed rigorous noise regulations for industrial energy projects and has reviewed and continuously assessed the regulations for more than a decade. The AUC regulations on noise have been developed specifically to ensure the public’s safety regarding noise emissions from industrial energy facilities. The regulation does not allow cumulative sound pressure levels, measured in decibels (dBA), to exceed 40 dBA at any nearby residence during the night or 50 dBA during the day.

A number of photo simulations from common vantage points around the community have been prepared and are posted in the downlods section of the project website. The visual simulations provide a good reference for the public to assess the visual impact of the Project. There are no current government regulations for visual impact, and turbine layout is generally driven more by wind resource, land constraints (wildlife, bylaws, or land use), and noise and shadow considerations (both regulated by the AUC) as opposed to the more subjective criterion of visual impact.

The Project is estimated to have a 20 to 25 year operational life, after which the Project must be decommissioned or refurbished. Decommissioning of the turbines and returning the land use to its prior state is a standard condition of the project approval with the AUC, as well as a contractual obligation with the host landowners. Furthermore, the Project has committed in its leases to post a performance bond or other similar security prior to the start of decommissioning. It is hoped, however, that due to the sustainability of wind resource extraction, there will be a need and economic benefit to keep the project going past its initially proposed life span of 20 to 25 years.

No large-scale infrastructure project is built without some impact. However, ABO wind intends on minimizing the impact of this wind farm project to the extent possible. In compliance with the Alberta Environment and Parks (AEP) siting guidelines, the preliminary layout generally avoids placing permanent infrastructure (turbines, roads, substation) on any natural grassland or native prairie to mitigate impact on high value environmental features. Maskwa Environmental Consulting, a Calgary based environmental consultant, has conducted a suite of environmental surveys in 2019 and is preparing an Environmental Evaluation for the project area, in consultation with the regional wildlife biologist from AEP. Details of the surveys and timing were provided at the open house and are available on the project website in the open house materials. AEP has proposed setbacks for specific species and land types that are particularly sensitive or at risk. Construction and operational practices and mitigations are reviewed and approved by AEP prior to final AUC review and approval of the project.

Many studies have been conducted on property sale data in and around wind farms in Canada, the United States, and internationally. The reports demonstrate that data gathered over the past decade consistently show that there is no material impact on home or property sale prices related to proximity to wind turbines.

In a series of studies, the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) examined the assessments of properties in Ontario located at a distance of 1 km, 2 km and 5 km from wind turbines. The studies found that for both 2012 and 2016, there was no significant impact on sale prices of residential properties resulting from the proximity to a wind turbine.

A 2013 study prepared for the US Department of Energy reviewed 50,000 sales in 27 counties across 9 states (including 1198 home sales within 1 mile of a turbine), and concluded that there is no statistical evidence that turbines impact property value.

Transport Canada has legal requirements for wind turbine lighting that must be followed for the safe navigation of aircraft. Transport Canada will be consulted to get agreement to apply the minimum amount of lighting necessary on the turbines. Each project is evaluated for lighting on a case by case basis. For larger projects, not every turbine needs a light. Other possible mitigation of turbine lighting could be done using light shielding so that light is directed upward and not toward the ground where it is not needed. More information on the turbine lighting plan will be provided once the final layout is known and the Transport Canada assessment is received.

Public roads will be used during construction by heavy machinery and equipment for the delivery of raw materials and building components such as concrete, gravel, and turbine components. Vulcan County will be consulted prior to the start of construction to negotiate a Road Use Agreement (RUA). The RUA will ensure that the roads used during construction will be recorded (by video or photo), monitored during construction and restored (or upgraded) after construction is completed. A traffic management plan will also be developed by the construction team and presented to the County and the community prior to the start of construction, and the plan will outline mitigation measures for traffic through appropriate site speed limits and daily work hours, as well as dust control measures and public notification of the various stages of construction traffic to and from the site.

Modern wind turbines have three components: the tower, the rotor consisting of three blades, and the nacelle. The hub transmits the rotational movement of the rotor blades inside the nacelle, where the generator transforms the kinetic energy into electricity. The electricity is transferred through underground cables to a substation where the voltage is stepped up to transmission level voltage. For a more detailed explanation, see this pdf.