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Canada's First Cross-Border Power Transmission Line Files for Regulatory Approval |
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Written by Wire Services
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Thursday, 22 June 2006 |
Montana Alberta Tie Ltd. today announced it has just filed its Facility Application with the Alberta Energy and Utilities Board (AEUB) to build and operate a 347 kilometre, 300 megawatt bi-directional power transmission line between Lethbridge, Alberta and Great Falls, Montana. The line, which will tie together the Alberta and Montana power grids, will be the first cross-border merchant transmission line between Canada and the US.
The Alberta portion of the line will terminate at a new electrical substation located in the County of Lethbridge, approximately 10 km northeast of the City of Lethbridge. 140 km of the line will run through Alberta, crossing the border 20 km west of Coutts providing a more reliable electrical system for Montanans and Albertans all without government subsidies.
Montana Alberta Tie will build and operate the line. Construction cost is estimated at over $100 million (CDN). Final negotiations with suppliers are currently being completed.
The AEUB will decide in the next several weeks whether to hold a public hearing on the Facility Application. Montana Alberta Tie Ltd. filed its Construct and Operate Application with the National Energy Board of Canada in December 2005, and the Alberta Electrical System Operator in conjunction with MATL filed a Needs Application with the AEUB in April 2006.
The Facility Application includes changes to the proposed route reflecting landowner consultations, and to bypass the environmentally sensitive Milk River Ridge.
Montana Alberta Tie Ltd. has established Community Advisory Committees in Alberta and Montana to provide stakeholders with an additional forum to present their concerns and resolve issues.
Following regulatory approval in Alberta and Montana, construction is planned to begin in the fall of 2006 and continue through the winter. Start-up is scheduled in the first half of 2007. The project will stimulate over one billion dollars of wind farm development in the region. |
