Alberta Electric System Operator Needs Identification Document Application. Mowat 2033S Substation

Transcription

1 Decision D Alberta Electric System Operator Needs Identification Document Application Facility Applications September 7, 2016

2 Alberta Utilities Commission Decision D : Alberta Electric System Operator Needs Identification Document Application Application A001 Facility Applications Applications A002 to A005 Proceeding September 7, 2016 Published by the: Alberta Utilities Commission Fifth Avenue Place, Fourth Floor, 425 First Street S.W. Calgary, Alberta T2P 3L8 Telephone: Fax: Website:

3 Alberta Utilities Commission Calgary, Alberta Alberta Electric System Operator Needs Identification Document Application Decision D Facility Applications Proceeding Applications A001 to A005 1 Decision summary 1. In this decision, the Alberta Utilities Commission must decide whether to approve applications filed by the Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO) and (ATCO Electric) for transmission development in the Spirit River area. After consideration of the record of the proceeding, and for the reasons outlined in this decision, the Commission finds the AESO s assessment of the need to be correct and finds that approval of the development proposed by ATCO Electric is in the public interest, having regard to the social and economic effects of the project and its effects on the environment. 2 Introduction and background 2. On July 4, 2016, the AESO filed a needs identification document application for approval of the need for transmission development in the Spirit River area (the needs identification document application). The needs identification document application, filed pursuant to Section 34 of the Electric Utilities Act, was registered as Application A Pursuant to Section 35 of the Electric Utilities Act, the AESO directed ATCO Electric to submit facility applications to the Commission to meet the need identified in the needs identification document application. 4. ATCO Electric filed facility applications to meet the need identified by the AESO pursuant to sections 14 and 15 of the Hydro and Electric Energy Act. ATCO Electric proposed to construct the, construct a new transmission line to connect the proposed substation to the existing 144-kilovolt (kv) Transmission Line 7L10, and alter the existing Rycroft 730S Substation (the proposed project). Its applications were filed on July 7, 2016, and were registered as applications A002 to A005 (the facility applications). ATCO Electric is the operator of Transmission Line 7L10 pursuant to Permit and Licence AP and the Rycroft 730S Substation pursuant to Permit and Licence AP The AESO and ATCO Electric requested that the applications be considered jointly pursuant to Section 15.4 of the Hydro and Electric Energy Act. The Commission advised the AESO and ATCO Electric that the applications had been combined and were being considered jointly as Proceeding Permit and Licence AP 84-40, Application , September 21, Permit and Licence AP 86-27, Application , June, 16, Decision D (September 7, 2016) 1

4 6. On July 28, 2016, the Commission issued a notice of applications for Proceeding with a deadline of August 28, 2016, for submissions to express objections, concerns, or support for one or more of the applications. The notice was sent directly to all occupants, residents and landowners within 800 metres of the project, as well as to other stakeholders who were contacted as part of the participant involvement program as identified by ATCO Electric. The notice was also published in the Rycroft Central Peace Signal on August 9, 2016 and on the AUC website. Notification was automatically ed to efiling System users who had chosen to be notified of notices of application issued by the Commission. 7. No submissions were received by the submission deadline of August 28, On July 28, 2016, the Commission issued information requests to ATCO Electric to clarify details of the facility applications. ATCO Electric submitted its responses on August 9, Discussion 3.1 Needs identification document application 9. ATCO Electric, the owner of electric distribution facilities in the Spirit River area, requested system access service from the AESO to meet its distribution reliability criteria and serve industrial load growth in the area. ATCO Electric s request included a rate demand transmission service contract capacity of approximately 21 megawatts to support the load from industrial and oil field customers in the Spirit River district. 10. The AESO indicated that the need could be met by constructing a new 144/25-kV point-of-delivery substation, designated as the, and a new 144-kV circuit, designated as Transmission Line 7LA10, connecting the proposed substation to the existing 144-kV Transmission Line 7L10 in a T-tap configuration. The AESO also proposed a 144-kV circuit breaker to be installed at the existing Rycroft 730S Substation. 11. The AESO considered two alternatives to the proposed project that involved capacity upgrades at the existing Rycroft 730S, Ksituan River 754S and Saddle Hills 865S substations. The AESO ruled out the alternatives because the proposed project would require the least complex transmission development, have lower cost and allow operational flexibility. 12. The connection assessment conducted by the AESO identified the potential for a thermal violation on a section of Transmission Line 7L10 under conditions when all transmission elements are in service following completion of the proposed project. The AESO indicated that ATCO Electric had plans to uprate the section of Transmission Line 7L10 prior to the proposed transmission development, thereby mitigating the potential thermal violation. The AESO also stated that remaining thermal violations would be managed by real-time operational procedures. 13. The AESO directed ATCO Electric to file a facility application with the AUC to meet the need identified and to assist in conducting a participant involvement program that would provide stakeholders with an opportunity to raise any concerns regarding the needs identification document application. 2 Decision D (September 7, 2016)

5 3.2 The facility applications 14. To meet the need identified by the AESO, ATCO Electric proposed to construct the, construct Transmission Line 7LA10 to connect the proposed substation to the existing 144-kV Transmission Line 7L10, and alter the existing Rycroft 730S Substation. 15. The proposed would be located within LSD 1 of Section 15, Township 78, Range 7, west of the Sixth Meridian on private land approximately 8.5 kilometres southwest of Spirt River. 16. Upon completion of the proposed project, the would include the following major equipment: one 144/25-kV, 30/40/50-megavolt-ampere transformer one 144-kV circuit breaker two 240-kV circuit breakers (operated as 144-kV circuit breakers) one 144-kV, 10-megavolt-ampere reactive (MVar) capacitor bank one 144-kV, 15-MVar capacitor bank six 25-kV circuit breakers one telecommunications tower approximately 40 metres tall associated substation equipment 17. ATCO Electric proposed to install two 240-kV circuit breakers on the capacitor banks to avoid performance issues within the proposed. ATCO Electric explained that the existing 144-kV Transmission Line 7L10 operates at 158 kv and could introduce transient voltages during switching that could exceed the rated voltage of 144-kV circuit breakers. ATCO Electric explained that the rationale for the use of the 240-kV circuit breakers was provided to, and accepted by, the AESO. 18. ATCO Electric indicated that the fenced area of the site would be approximately 70 metres by 70 metres. ATCO Electric secured an option to purchase the land from the landowners for the entire proposed substation area and the proposed altered Transmission Line 7L10 right-of-way. ATCO Electric identified the proposed Mowat 2033S Substation site as having favorable level and well-drained ground conditions, good access, sufficient space, good proximity to the customer s future potential development areas and would reduce the length of the transmission line required to connect to the electrical grid. ATCO Electric added that the proposed site would be aligned with municipal planning guidelines and has support of the current landowner. 19. ATCO Electric also proposed to construct one 144-kV single-circuit transmission line approximately 45 metres long, to be designated as 7LA10, that would connect the Mowat 2033S Substation to a tap point along the existing 144-kV Transmission Line 7L10. Transmission Line 7LA10 would be built within the property boundary of the. Decision D (September 7, 2016) 3

6 20. In addition, ATCO Electric proposed to alter approximately 445 metres of existing Transmission Line 7L10 to accommodate the proposed Transmission Line 7LA10. ATCO Electric stated that Transmission Line 7L10 is currently situated within the road allowance of Township Road 782 and does not have an easement. To accommodate the connection of Transmission Line 7LA10, a portion of the existing Transmission Line 7L10 centre line would be shifted north and a new easement would be required. The alteration would include the removal of existing structures and the addition of new structures. 21. ATCO Electric indicated that it selected the route for Transmission Line 7LA10 because it would be located close to two municipal roads which would allow for access. It also stated that the route would reduce the line length and fragmentation of agricultural land as reasonably as possible. 22. ATCO Electric also proposed to alter the Rycroft 730S Substation by replacing the existing 10-metre tall telecommunications tower with an approximately 34-metre tall self-supporting lattice telecommunications tower and the addition of one 144-kV circuit breaker. The Rycroft 730S Substation is located within LSD 16 of Section 9, Township 78, Range 5, west of the Sixth Meridian on approximately 6.14 acres of private land. 23. In response to the AUC s information request about the need for replacing the existing telecommunications tower at the Rycroft 730S Substation, ATCO Electric stated that the AESO functional specification for the Spirit River project included a requirement for ATCO Electric to provide protection-grade communications into Rycroft 730S Substation. ATCO Electric explained that replacing the existing telecommunications tower with the proposed 34-metre telecommunications tower would accommodate the increased height required to upgrade the radio link reliability. ATCO Electric added that no expansion of the Rycroft 730S Substation fenceline would be required. 24. Upon completion of the project, the Rycroft 730S Substation would include the following major equipment: one 144/25-kV, 15/20/25-MVA transformer three 144-kV circuit breakers one 144-kV circuit switcher three 25-kV circuit breakers one telecommunications tower associated substation equipment 25. ATCO Electric notified stakeholders, including landholders, agencies and other potential interested parties located within 800 metres from the proposed and Transmission Line 7LA10. Further, ATCO Electric notified all stakeholders located within 800 metres south, 150 metres north and 200 metres east and west of the existing Rycroft 730S Substation. ATCO Electric explained that the reason for notifying stakeholders at different distances from the Rycroft 730S Substation was because the area surrounding the substation has mixed land use with clear delineated areas for urban use and rural use. 4 Decision D (September 7, 2016)

7 26. ATCO Electric stated that it also conducted personal consultations with all stakeholders directly affected or directly adjacent to the proposed project. ATCO Electric stated that there was one stakeholder undecided and one stakeholder opposed to the proposed project. ATCO Electric stated it is in on-going communications with these stakeholders and would continue to work with them to address their concerns. The Commission did not receive any objections to the proposed project. 27. ATCO Electric stated it notified two First Nations communities due to the locations of the proposed and the Rycroft 730S Substation. ATCO Electric submitted that it did not receive any comments or concerns from any of the First Nations it notified. 28. ATCO Electric submitted an environmental protection plan for the proposed project which described the mitigation measures that would be used to reduce environmental impacts. Further, ATCO Electric stated it would construct and maintain the proposed project adhering to Alberta Environment and Parks R&R/11-03, Environmental Protection Guidelines for Transmission Lines, and in accordance with the terms and conditions of the right-of-way agreements and easements. ATCO Electric indicated that the proposed site would avoid environmentally sensitive areas and reduce the overall impact on adjacent landowners and the surrounding environment. 29. ATCO Electric explained that some equipment at the Rycroft 730S Substation site may contain polychlorinated biphenyls of unknown concentrations, however, the project did not include the removal of suspected polychlorinated biphenyl containing equipment from the substation. ATCO Electric submitted that it would conduct a visual assessment of the substation prior to construction for evidence of releases. Should evidence of staining be observed at the Rycroft 730S Substation, it would perform soil sampling for suspected contaminants and would reference the results against the Alberta Tier 1 Soil and Groundwater Remediation Guidelines. ATCO Electric added that should contaminants be found in concentrations greater than the guidelines, it would engage with Alberta Environment and Parks to discuss requirements around remediation and risk management. 30. ATCO Electric received Historical Resources Act clearance for all locations of the proposed project from Alberta Culture and Tourism. Further, ATCO Electric stated that if historical resources are discovered during construction, activity would be suspended pending notification and direction from Alberta Culture and Tourism. 31. ATCO Electric submitted a noise impact assessment summary form that stated the review was conducted in accordance with Rule 012: Noise Control for the proposed Mowat 2033S Substation. The results of the noise impact assessment summary form indicated that the proposed would not exceed permissible sound levels. ATCO Electric did not complete a noise impact assessment for the proposed alterations to the Rycroft 730S Substation because no additional noise-producing equipment was planned for the substation. 32. The cost of the proposed project was estimated by ATCO Electric to be approximately $18,814,658 (within +20 per cent/-10 per cent accuracy), allocated to the customer. Decision D (September 7, 2016) 5

8 33. Construction of the proposed project would commence in November 2016, with a proposed in-service date of June Findings 34. The Commission is satisfied that the needs identification document application filed by the AESO contains all the information required by the Electric Utilities Act, the Transmission Regulation and Rule 007: Applications for Power Plants, Substations, Transmission Lines, Industrial System Designations and Hydro Developments. 35. No interested party demonstrated that the AESO s assessment of the need for transmission development in the Spirit River area is technically deficient or that approval of the needs identification document application is not in the public interest. Therefore, in accordance with subsection 38(e) of the Transmission Regulation, the Commission considers the AESO s assessment of the need to be correct, and approves the AESO s needs identification document application. 36. The Commission is also satisfied that ATCO Electric s facility applications comply with the information requirements prescribed in Rule 007 and are consistent with the need identified in the AESO s needs identification document application. 37. The Commission finds that the joint participant involvement program undertaken by the AESO and ATCO Electric meets the requirements of Rule The Commission is satisfied that the technical, siting and environmental aspects of the project, as submitted by ATCO Electric, fulfill the requirements of Rule The Commission accepts ATCO Electric s statement that there will be no audible noise sources added to Rycroft 730S Substation. Further, the Commission finds that the noise impact assessment summary form submitted by ATCO Electric with respect to the Mowat 2033S Substation fulfills the requirements of Rule The Commission is satisfied that there are no outstanding technical or environmental concerns associated with the project, nor are there any outstanding public or industry concerns from directly and adversely affected parties before the Commission. 41. Given the considerations discussed above, the Commission finds the project to be in the public interest pursuant to Section 17 of the Alberta Utilities Commission Act. 5 Decision 42. Pursuant to Section 34 of the Electric Utilities Act, the Commission approves the need outlined in Needs Identification Document Application A001 and grants the AESO the approval set out in Appendix 1 Needs Identification Document Approval D September 7, Decision D (September 7, 2016)

9 43. Pursuant to sections 14, 15 and 19 of the Hydro and Electric Energy Act, the Commission approves applications A002 to A005 and grants ATCO Electric the following approvals: Appendix 2 Substation Permit and Licence D September 7, 2016, to construct and operate the Mowat 2033 Substation. Appendix 3 Transmission Line Permit and Licence D September 7, 2016, to alter and operate Transmission Line 7L10. Appendix 4 Transmission Line Permit and Licence D September 7, 2016, to construct and operate Transmission Line 7LA10 Appendix 5 Substation Permit and Licence D September 7, 2016, to alter and operate the Rycroft 730S Substation. 44. The appendices will be distributed separately. Dated on September 7, Alberta Utilities Commission (original signed by) Neil Jamieson Commission Member Decision D (September 7, 2016) 7