Innisfail Town council gave the green light to the town’s first solar farm project Monday night at a special meeting.
About 15 people came out to the meeting where the 70-acre solar farm project, that will generate enough power for 4,000 homes, was proposed.
The solar farm will be built on a piece of land owned by the town. In return, the town will collect rent, at $500 per acre as proposed by the company.
Todd Becker, chief administrative officer at Town of Innisfail said the rental amount can change once a formal agreement is in place which will be the end of March.
The project is being pitched by Calgary-based Temporis Development, and Innisfail’s Bilton Welding and Manufacturing Ltd.
Becker said for now council passed a motion to draft a letter of intent letting the the two companies know that council is interested.
The proposed location for the plant is adjacent to Hwy 54, just north of Innisfail Golf Club. Currently, that piece of land generates $6,000 annually through an agricultural lease.
Robbie Donaldson, Temporis managing director, said an option for lease agreement is a key document which would be needed before the two companies can apply for permits for the project.
Becker said the people who came out to the meeting inquired about the solar technology and the impact on their utility bills.
Donaldson said users’ power bills numbers won’t change. He said users won’t be able to tell the difference in the quality of power either except solar energy is cleaner.
As for noise pollution, there is a buzzing that comes from the site but Donaldson said the noise is not loud.
“It’s slightly louder than a fridge,” he said.
The land can be reinstated once the lease ends – around 20-25 years later, said Becker. Currently, the land is designated for residential growth, but won’t be needed for the lease period.
Construction of the project will commence in May 2019 and the project will be up and running in September 2019.
mamta.lulla@reddeeradvocate.com
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