Alberta commission finds renewables pose little threat to agriculture, environment [Video]

Alberta’s utilities regulator has released a report saying the province’s booming renewables industry poses little threat to its agriculture or the environment.

“Assuming all renewable development locates on (some of Alberta’s best) land, the percentage of (such) agricultural land loss is estimated to be less than one per cent by 2041,” says the Alberta Utilities Commission report, released Wednesday.

The commission takes a similar view of concerns that solar and wind facilities could leave landowners and the public with big bills for reclamation at the end of their lives.

“Compared to some other forms of industrial development, renewable power plant projects have well-understood and relatively contained reclamation risks,” it says. “The risks associated with groundwater and off-site contamination are generally low.”

The report is the first of two the United Conservative government asked the commission to produce as part of its inquiry into the province’s booming solar and wind power …