Federal Minister of Natural Resources Jonathan Wilkinson was on hand on Tuesday, July 11 to help cut the ribbon to mark the beginning of operations for the Michichi and Kneehill Solar projects.
He was joined by Capstone CEO David Eva and VP Capital Project Execution for Capstone, Mathew Hanna, as well as Darren Rousch of Keyera Corporation, and Starland Reeve Steve Wannstrom.
“This is related not only to what is happening in Canada but around the world. In all the advanced economies, we are in a race to reduce carbon emissions. That is about ensuring we have a sustainable future for our children, but it is also about seizing the economic opportunities that can be enabled through a transition to a low-carbon future,” said Wilkinson.
Michichi and Kneehill Solar will also provide property tax revenue of an estimated $8 million to both Starland and Kneehill County over the operational life of the projects. Each project will offset approximately 30,000 metric tonnes of CO2 each year.
“With Capstone, this takes us to 38 operating facilities, 825 megawatts coast to coast,” said Hanna.
“We benefit from world-class wind, we benefit from world-class sun, a market that functions and allows companies to decarbonize their own efforts,” said Eva.
The power and environmental attributes generated from Michichi Solar will be sold to Keyera Corporation, one of the largest midstream oil and gas operators in Canada.
“With this commercial facility now in operation, we are the sole purchaser of all the power coming from this Michichi solar facility that represents around nine per cent of our annual consumption for all of Keyera for our commercial energy usage,” said Rousch.
Sawridge First Nation, a Cree people who are an original signatory to Treaty No. 8, is an equity partner for both the Michichi and Kneehill Solar projects.
Minister Wilkinson said much of the push is industry-driven.
“Industry is leading a lot of these developments of renewable energy resources… and we are wanting to work with industry to move this forward, create jobs, and create economic opportunity,” he said. “I think the federal government and the province haven’t always been on the same page in terms of the timelines and stuff, and we are working on trying to figure out a pathway through which we can have a more constructive conversation,” said Wilkinson.
