November 2011 Electric system improvements near you 138 kV Transmission Project Preferred and Alternate Route Update

Did you know? A reliable transmission system keeps costs low by connecting diverse sources of power generation to the grid. Transmission costs make up about 10% of the average residential utility bill. Generation costs – the cost of actually creating power – make up the largest portion of a bill, at more than 50%. The transmission system always connects the lowest priced generator to the grid first, so generators compete to provide Albertans with cost-effective electricity.

You are receiving this newsletter because you are near the Definition proposed Medicine Hat 138 kV Transmission Project Transmission Transmission lines make up ’s and we want your input. electric highway, linking the places We would like to provide you with an update about the Medicine Hat where power is generated to where 138 kV Transmission Project. In January 2011, we announced our preferred power is used. Transmission lines and alternate routes. Since that time we have continued to meet with transport large amounts of power over long distances across the landowners located along these proposed routes to discuss the project province. The transmission system and gather input. This input has helped us further refine our preferred connects diverse sources of power and alternate routing and add new route segments. Changes to the generation including wind, routing since January 2011 include: high-efficiency coal, natural gas • More refined routes: two alternate routes have been identified from the and more. previous alternate routing. • Variant route options: variant routes are a minor variation to the routing and provide additional options. We have added variant route segments to the preferred and alternate routes. CONTACT US • Refined substation connections: we have further refined the 1-877-269-5903 (toll free) configuration of the transmission lines entering and exiting Bullshead [email protected] and Bowmanton substations. Visit us online at www.altalink.ca Definition Alberta Utilities 658L Commission Bowmanton 244S The Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC) ensures the fair and er Riv responsible delivery of Alberta’s an w he utility services. AltaLink submits tc a k s applications for new transmission a

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AltaLink submits Facilities 524 S 41S 41A Veinerville Applications to the AUC for review. MEDICINE880L HAT A Facilities Application describes REDCLIFF523 1 how AltaLink proposes to meet MEDICINE HAT Desert 41S Blume41A Veinerville Roytal the requirement for a transmission 880L 523 1 project. It includes routing BULLSHEADDesert Dunmore details, results of the participant 523SBlume Roytal involvement program and technical BULLSHEAD Dunmore 523S details. Facilities Applications must 3 879L 600L Bullshead be approved by the AUC before 3 879L 600L Bullshead construction can begin.

LEGEND LEGENDApproved Substation Existing Transmission ExistingApproved Substation SubstationLine Existing Transmission Preferred Route or LocalityLine Existing Substation Road Preferred Variant Option Hamlet or Locality AlternatePreferred Routes Route Urban Area Water Body AlternatePreferred Variant VariantOption Option Road Upgrade Route Alternate Routes Urban Area Alternate Variant Option Water Body The refined routes and additional segment options included in this newsletter will be submittedUpgrade toRoute the Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC) for consideration when we file our Facilities Application in winter 2011/2012. Also included in this newsletter is an overview of temporary workspace needed during project construction, as well as information regarding access trails that will be used during the construction process and beyond.

2 Preferred and alternate routes Our updated preferred route is shown below. After further refinement of our original alternate routing we have created alternate routes 1A and 1B, which can be seen below. The original preferred and alternate routing from January 2011 is also shown below.

Original preferred and alternate routing Updated preferred route

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LEGEND LEGEND Proposed Substation Hamlet or Locality Approved Substation Hamlet or Locality Existing Substation Road Existing Substation Road Preferred Route Urban Area Preferred Route Water Body Alternate Routes Water Body Upgrade Route Urban Area Upgrade Route Other Proposed Routes Existing Transmission Line

Updated alternate route 1A Updated alternate route 1B

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LEGEND LEGEND Approved Substation Hamlet or Locality Approved Substation Hamlet or Locality Existing Substation Road Existing Substation Road Alternate Route 1A Urban Area Alternate Route 1B Urban Area Upgrade Route Water Body Upgrade Route Water Body Other Proposed Routes Other Proposed Routes Existing Transmission Line Existing Transmission Line

3 Preferred variant route option A variant route option on the preferred route is located in the area south of the Bullshead Substation, along Range Road 63 between Township Roads 120 and 114. This segment is 3.2 kilometres in length and is being proposed as an alternative to the portion of the preferred route in Section 27 and 34-T11-R6 - W4, which is located on private property. Only a single route as approved by the AUC will be constructed.

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LEGEND Approved SubstationSubstation HamletHamlet or or Locality Locality Existing Substation RoadRoad Preferred VariantVariant OptionOption UrbanUrban Area Area Upgrade Route WaterWater Body Body Other Proposed RoutesRoutes Existing Transmission LineLine Alternate variant route option A variant route option on the alternate route is also located south of the Bullshead Substation and heads north at Range Road 61A until turning west and paralleling Township Road 120. This segment is three kilometres in length and is being proposed as an alternative to the segment of the alternate routes in Section 35 and 34-T11-R6-W4, which is located on private property. Only a single route as approved by the AUC will be constructed.

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879L879L 600L 33 600L commitment to community and BullsheadBullshead environment, AltaLink is ensuring LEGEND the transmission system will Approved SubstationSubstation HamletHamlet or or Locality Locality support Albertans’ quality of life Existing SubstationSubstation RoadRoad Alternate VariantVariant OptionOption UrbanUrban Area Area for years to come. Learn more at Upgrade RouteRoute WaterWater Body Body Other ProposedProposed RoutesRoutes www.altalink.ca Existing TransmissionTransmission Line Line

4 Bullshead Substation At the Bullshead Substation, the existing 138 kV transmission line (879L) will be disconnected from the substation and will be added to the proposed transmission line. The new transmission line will connect to the Bullshead Substation. The below figure shows the proposed configuration at Bullshead Substation.

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LEGEND Existing Substation Site Preferred Route Existing Transmission Line

Bowmanton Substation At the Bowmanton Substation, four structures (which carry five transmission lines) will connect to the Bowmanton Substation. The figure below shows the

proposed configuration at Bowmanton Substation.

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R AltaLink has more than Proposed Proposed 674L 892L/675L (Single Circuit) 12,000 kilometres of transmission 674L (DoubleCircuit) lines in the province. When a transmission line is removed from Bowmanton 244S service, we ensure the wood Proposed 676L poles that once supported electric (Single Circuit) wires are reused or recycled. We’ve recycled more than Proposed Proposed 879L 879L/676L (Single Circuit) 400 poles to date and are (DoubleCircuit) investigating innovative methods like turning the poles into LEGEND bio-fuel. For more information Approved Substation Upgrade Route Existing Substation Existing Transmission about AltaLink’s environmental Preferred Route Line initiatives please visit Road Alternate Routes www.altalink.ca/environment. Salvaged Route

5 please note Retired ROUTING If a structure is located A route segment along Highway 41 was removed from consideration after on a road allowance near further refining the alternate routing to alternate routes 1A and 1B. Two other your property, there may segments – one located in an undeveloped road allowance north of Dunmore be a need for a temporary and one near Desert Blume Golf Course – were identified as having higher workspace and the additional environmental impacts and have been removed from consideration. required right‐of‐way located on your property.

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LEGEND Approved Substation Hamlet or Locality Existing Substation Road Retired Route Water Body Other Proposed Routes Urban Area Existing Transmission Line

Easement required The majority of the preferred and alternate routes are located on road allowances. For the portions that are located on private property, AltaLink will require easements from landowners. An easement may also be required at points where the transmission route turns or is at an angle. The additional area required on property adjacent to a turn or angle is approximately five by five metres (16 by 16 feet). Discussion regarding acquiring these spaces will be negotiated on a individual basis with landowners.

Access trails and workspace area For construction purposes, access trails to the right‐of‐way have been identified along the preferred and alternate routes. These access trails are in areas where access may be limited for a number of reasons, including irrigation canals, ditches or coulees that make driving along the right‐of‐way impractical. In some areas, undeveloped road allowances have also been identified as access trails. Access trails are identified with a dotted brown line on the updated maps included in this package.

6 Optional temporary workspace and additional required right‐of‐way is needed for the safe construction of the transmission structures including the structure assembly, installation and stringing. At all structure locations, AltaLink will be seeking workspace area in addition to the 20 metre transmission line right‐of‐way.

Landowners will receive compensation for both optional temporary workspace and the additional required right‐of‐way. Discussions regarding acquiring these spaces will be negotiated on an individual basis with landowners.

Wh at’s next? We will continue to be available to meet with stakeholders to discuss the project and the updated preferred and alternate routes. We are currently preparing our Facility Application to submit to the AUC in winter 2011/2012. We will notify stakeholders when we file the application. To learn more about the AUC process and how you can become involved, please refer to the brochure included in this package titled Public Involvement in Needs or Facilities Applications.

7 More information To learn more about the proposed project, please contact: Al tAlink 1-877-269-5903 (toll-free) Email: [email protected] To learn more about Alberta’s electric system and the need for the project, please contact: Aalbert Electric System Operator (AESO) 1-888-866-2959 (toll-free) Email: [email protected] To learn more about the application and review process, please contact: AaUlbert tilities Commission (AUC) 780-427-4903 2611 - 3rd Avenue SE (You can call toll-free by dialing 310-0000 before the number) , Alberta T2A 7W7 Email: [email protected]

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