AltaLink Gearing Up to Construct Five Foothills Area Projects

CALGARY, ALBERTA--(Marketwired - Oct. 29, 2013) - The Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC) has approved with conditions five AltaLink projects that fall under the Foothills Area Transmission Development (FATD) and the Southern Alberta Transmission Reinforcement (SATR).

"We appreciate that the AUC considered AltaLink's recommendations based on our planning and consultation over the past five years," says Eóin Cooke, VP Major Projects South. "Since 2009 we've had more than 2,000 conversations with stakeholders and over 40 open houses and information centres that allowed us to hear stakeholder views that assisted us in our project siting and planning."

The five projects approved in the AUC's decision include:

FATD

• North Foothills Transmission Project (NFTP)
• Foothills 138 kV Project (also known as High River to Okotoks and Okotoks to Janet)
• Langdon to Janet

SATR

• South Foothills Transmission Project (SFTP)
• Windy Flats 138 kV Line Re-configuration

These five projects will help bring new power generated in southern Alberta to Calgary and the growing communities south and east of the city. They involve building new transmission lines, rebuilding and modifying existing transmission lines and building two new substations (west of Fort Macleod and east of High River).

Once construction begins, communities in the project areas may see a boost in economic activity.

"We anticipate about 350 people working on these projects during peak construction times," says Cooke. "We are proud to support the communities in which we live and work and we encourage all of our contractors to hire locally."

Construction planning and preparation is expected to get underway in the coming weeks with construction anticipated to begin in early 2014. All five projects are expected to be complete in the spring or summer of 2015.

Although the projects have been approved, AltaLink will continue to communicate with stakeholders during the entire construction process.

"We have built relationships with the people in these project areas over the past few years, and we intend to continue to address any questions or concerns they have and update them as the projects progress," says Cooke.

The AUC's decision can be found on its website here. For more information about the approved projects, please visit the project pages at www.altalink.ca/fatd and www.altalink.ca/satr.

AltaLink's transmission system efficiently delivers electricity to 85% of Albertans. Dedicated to meeting the growing need for electricity, AltaLink connects Albertans to renewable, reliable and low-cost power. With a commitment to community and environment, AltaLink is ensuring the transmission system will support Albertans' quality of life for years to come. Learn more at www.altalink.ca.