Plenty of interest, little opposition. That was the response from the two dozen people who took in a presentation about a solar energy project proposed for the Kid Creek area on April 18 at the Community Complex.
“It went even better than I had hoped,” Dave Carscadden, project developer for Saturn Power, and Ontario-based alternative energy developer.
The meeting was a public hearing required by the RDCK because the 76.9 hectare parcel in question would have to be rezoned from Country Residential and Rural Resource to Industrial and Solar Energy Facility. The property is to the north and west of the Kid Creek rest area on Highway 3 east of Kitchener.
The solar photovoltaic power farm is designed to produce 15 megawatts of energy, which would be delivered to the Fortis BC power grid under BC Hydro’s Standing Offer Program.
According to Carscadden, the majority of the land would be used to house solar photovoltaic cells, which collect and convert sunlight into electricity. The remaining portion would be used for the necessary infrastructure to collect the power to a single point where it will be converted for delivery to the power grid.
“The project is expected to be functional for 40 years,” he said. It would be decommissioned and removed afterward.
“This project is very exciting for Area B and would be a major investment into the area,” RDCK Area B Director Tanya Wall said on Monday. “Although it is at an early stage and there are a lot of details to be confirmed, it is a project that I support because it is an investment into clean energy.
“I was extremely happy to see all the people come out to the public hearing to get informed about the project and we have heard their concerns,” she said. “Staff and I will be working with the developers to ensure all concerns are addressed and that we have all the required information and requirements outlined in the process as we move forward.
“Implementing a project like this is an excellent way to add value to our area and creates jobs and a sustainable future. I look forward to working with Saturn Power.”