WATERTON,
AB, April 20, 2023 /CNW/ - FortisAlberta Inc.
celebrated a milestone today as the company completed the final
commissioning of a unique reliability solution to meet the needs of
the residents of the Town of
Waterton and the hundreds of thousands of tourists who visit
Waterton National Park each year. FortisAlberta is the province's
largest distributor of electricity, serving almost 600,000 customer
sites across central and southern Alberta.
Alberta's
geographic and environmental diversity is a treasured part of the
province's natural heritage, but it can pose challenges for those
who live in remote areas, as well as to the utilities that work to
provide them with energy year-round. For example, the time that it
takes to restore electricity to customers living in remote areas
like Waterton is typically longer,
as these communities are connected to the grid by dedicated radial
lines. For those living in Waterton, the fact that these lines pass over
environmentally sensitive areas can make the use of traditional
outage restoration methods even more complex.
"People choose to live in Waterton and tourists flock to this area
because of the rugged beauty of the surroundings. We are proud to
play a part in providing the people of Waterton with the electricity that they need
to power their homes and businesses and welcome the world to this
special area," says Janine Sullivan,
FortisAlberta President and CEO. "We have known for some time that
our customers in Waterton needed
an innovative solution to improve local reliability and I am happy
to say that our employees have addressed that need. FortisAlberta
is excited to explore how the lessons that we learned in
Waterton can help customers living
in other remote communities."
As Curtis Eck,
FortisAlberta's Vice President, Engineering explains, "We've
designed and constructed a microgrid that will seamlessly transfer
the community between grid and battery supply during large system
disturbances." Mr. Eck confirms that the Waterton facility, which combines a Battery
Energy Storage Solution (BESS) with solar photovoltaic (PV)
renewable generation operated by Parks Canada, will leverage the
company's existing advanced distribution control system to provide
customers with up to four hours of backup power during peak
periods.
FortisAlberta completed the $6 million pilot project using a combination of
funding obtained from Alberta Innovates and Emissions Reduction
Alberta and Natural Resources Canada's Smart Grid
Program. "This energy storage system is a positive development
that will help strengthen the reliability of Waterton's grid," says Alberta's Minister of Affordability and
Utilities, Matt Jones.
"The Government of Canada is pleased to support important
projects like this, including through the Smart Grid Program. Solar
power and battery storage are vital components of the energy mix as
we build a prosperous and sustainable energy future," says The
Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Natural Resources.
"Today's announcement is another step toward a
reliable and sustainable energy grid for all Albertans and will
also help ensure that one of our province's iconic tourism
destinations has the infrastructure it needs to thrive," says The
Honourable Randy Boissonnault, Minister of Tourism and Associate
Minister of Finance.
About FortisAlberta
As owner and operator of more than 60 per cent of
Alberta's total electricity
distribution network, FortisAlberta's focus is delivering safe and
reliable electricity to almost 600,000 customer sites across
central and southern Alberta. The
Company serves more than 240 communities with 128,000 kilometres of
distribution power lines across Alberta.
SOURCE FORTISALBERTA INC