Environment Challenges of Building and Maintaining Transmission

Environmental Challenges of Constructing and Operating
Transmission Infrastructure in Western Canada
Rod Kause, Vice President, EH&S
April 2016
Who is AltaLink?
Quick facts
• We own and operate more than 13,000 kilometres of
transmission lines and 300 substations.
• That’s more than half of Alberta’s transmission grid,
serving 85% of its population.
• The voltage of our transmission lines range from 69 to
500 kV.
A bit about us “Canucks”
World’s Longest Coastline
20% of the World’s Fresh Water
30% of Canada is Forested
Second Largest Country in the World
Coming up…
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Wildlife
Wetlands
Waterbodies
Facilities
Terrain
Sensitive Soils
Construction Methods
Wildlife
80% of Alberta’s at risk species are found in Southern Alberta
http://www.cartantours.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Moose1.jpg
Woodland Caribou – Threatened Species
• Staggered right-of-way
• Line of sight break
• Reduces habitat fragmentation
Caribou migration path
New construction methods
Old construction methods
Seasonal Construction Restrictions
Challenges
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Key Wildlife and Biodiversity Zones
December 15 – April 30
Migratory Bird Restricted Activity Periods
April 1st – August 31st
Threatened and Endangered Species
Setbacks
50 metres to 1000 metres
Solutions
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Proactive construction scheduling
Wildlife and construction monitoring
Nest sweeps in areas prior to the start of
construction
Consultation with regulators
Avian Interactions - Substations
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Edmonton, Alberta
Custom manufacturer of polyurethane
Allows for Infrared scanning
Easily removed for maintenance
Weather and UV resistant
Reduced avian outages by 90-95%
Avian Interactions - Lines
How do we get those bird diverters on?
Wetlands
Wetlands cover 18% of Alberta’s landscape
http://static1.squarespace.com/static/54b57590e4b074f55dd611fd/t/54b592e1e4b03059755a7e62/1421185762454/wetland_complex.jpg?format=750w
Wetland Protection
Construction signage
Avoidance
Wetland Protection
Silt fence installation
Screw anchor installation
Water Bodies
Alberta’s longest river is the Athabasca River at 1,231 km
Water Bodies
Sunnybrook HVDC Converter Station
Sunnybrook forebay
Oil Containment
Traditional concrete containment
“Sorbweb” containment
Terrain
Banff National Park
Medicine Hat, Alberta
Sensitive Soils
Clubroot
Turkington, Kelly. Alberta Agriculture and Forestry. Web. 20 Apr. 2016.
Wash Station
Environmental conditions affect construction
Muskeg
Natural Prairie
Ice roads
Aerial structure stacking
Minimizing Environmental Impact
CONVENTIONAL
SCREW PILES