RES forging ahead with wind energy project

By Jamie Rieger
One renewable energy company that is hoping to set up a wind energy project in the county is moving forward at a steady pace, according to its development manager.
Lucas Reindler, development manager for Renewable Energy Systems Canada Inc. was in town recently for a charity golf tournament and told the Commentator that  the AESO (Alberta Electric System Operation) has given its recommendations to the provincial government, based on an application submitted by RES earlier this year.
“We expect that within one to two months, the Minister of Energy will make an announcement of preferred mechanisms for new renewables. This is critical,” he said.
RES is currently wrapping things up with area landowners, have two MET towers installed, and have ongoing work going with environmental studies, which Reindler said would continue until this fall.  Reindler is hopeful things would be ready to go by early 2017 with tenders going out for the initial work.
RES starting preliminary work on the project last fall when they hired a land agent and began securing land agreements in acquiring the needed acres. In February, Reindler attended a County of Forty Mile council meeting with an update that their application had been submitted to the AESO.
At the time, he said RES would become good community supporters, and thus far, have remained true to their word, contributing to the Bow Island and Foremost libraries, Bow Island Health Foundation, and most recently, was a sponsor at the Troy Loney Charity golf tournament.
The U.K.-based corporation has been developing, constructing, owning and/or operating renewable energy, transmission, and energy storage projects in Canada since 2003. The currently have 750 MW of renewable energy installed or under construction, amounting to a total annual production of 2.6 terawatt hours (enough electricity for 240,000 households and a reduction of 1.8 tonnes of C02 emissions).

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