For some landowners in rural Alberta, the provincial government's announcement of a seven-month moratorium on approving wind and solar power projects is being seen as welcome and overdue.
four major international companies at various development stages had stopped work on their plans as a result of the pause, citing an industry official.Reclamation — the process that attempts to return the land to something resembling what it was prior to development — is among the chief concerns among municipalities and landowners.
"If they go bankrupt, [the rules are] meaningless, because there's nobody there," he said. "Then, the onus is on the landowner, and then the county or municipality may think they have to step in, because the landowner is not going to be able to afford to reclaim it." Smith said she has seen estimates of $500,000 per turbine for reclamation, adding, "You've got 50 turbines — that's a $25 million reclamation project."
Andrew Leach, an energy and environmental economist and a professor at the University of Alberta, says a conversation with landowners should have been in the cards long before the pause on renewables was put into place.Vittoria Bellissimo, president and CEO of the Canadian Renewable Energy Association, said it is unfortunate that Alberta has a history of orphan wells and environmental liabilities, and added that landowner concerns should be taken seriously.
The industry also differs from oil and gas, Bellissimo said, because when it comes to orphan wells, as the productivity of the wells decrease, they become economically unviable.
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