Deerland FAQ
- Who will operate the Deerland Peaking Station?
- What is a Peaking Station?
- Why was the proposed site selected?
- What will the plant look like?
- What employment and business opportunities will be available?
- What about noise?
- How much water will the facility use?
- What about wastewater?
- What about emissions?
- What about Electric and Magnetic Fields (EMF)?
- Where will the electricity generated be used?
- How will the electricity generated be sold?
- When will the Deerland Peaking Station begin generation?
- What is the current status of the Project?
- What is the Regulatory Process?
- How do I participate?
Who will operate the Deerland Peaking Station?
MAXIM will own and operate the facility. Based in Calgary, Alberta, MAXIM is an Independent Power Producer that owns and operates 34 power plants in western Canada, northeast and western USA and France, with 754 MW of electric and 132 MW of thermal net generating capacity. In Alberta, MAXIM owns and operates the 150 MW H.R. Milner Generating Station near Grande Cache and four separate natural gas-fueled generating facilities in Taber, Burdett, Coaldale and Fort Macleod, and operate the Gold Creek waste heat recovery generation facility near Grande Prairie.
What is a Peaking Station?
As its name suggests, a peaking station generates electricity to meet peak electricity demand, which typically occurs between 8 am and 8 pm on weekdays. Because electricity cannot be stored cost effectively, the market requires peaking generation capacity to quickly meet demand.
Why was the proposed site selected?
MAXIM believes that this is the ideal site for the facility for the following reasons:
- It is immediately adjacent to the existing high-voltage substation
- It provides key support for Alberta's electrical infrastructure by injecting power near a growing load center
- It is consistent with local area land use; adjacent to a high-voltage electrical system with access to natural gas and water
- It will require no new electrical transmission facilities
- It currently is virtually unusable land
- The site landscape is heavily treed and the facility will be unobtrusive.
What will the plant look like?
The proposed project will be located in an area with topographical features and vegetation that will allow it to be virtually unseen by residents except from the road immediately adjacent to the site. MAXIM will be working closely with community residents to refine our design so that it best serves the interests of the surrounding community.
What employment and business opportunities will be available?
The facility will be designed to be remotely operated. A small number of local operations staff will be utilized on either a part-time or on-call basis. In addition to operations employment, the project, if approved, will create short term construction opportunities.
What about noise?
The technology proposed for the facility uses leading acoustic enclosures for the generating equipment and silencers for the exhaust stack. MAXIM has completed baseline studies of ambient noise in the immediate area of the proposed site and has modeled the expected sound contribution from the facility and concluded that there will be no noticeable contribution by the project to the ambient sound levels. In fact, our modeling shows that at peak levels, with all four units operating, the sound the nearest neighbours may hear would be about 35 decibels, or what you hear when you are sitting a meter away from an efficient refrigerator.
How much water will the facility use?
The proposed facility will utilize a nominal amount of water to increase power output during hot days. With all four units in operation, the annual average consumption is expected to be between 2 and 4 cubic meters per day (440-880 gallons). The facility will use more water on hot days and MAXIM has provided for on-site water storage to minimize water demand during these periods. In any case, even at peak use, the Deerland Station will have minimal impact on the total amount of water consumption in the area.
Water will be sourced from Lamont County via an extension of an existing pipeline currently terminating east of the Town of Bruderheim. Potable water received by the plant will be de-mineralized for injection into the combustion turbines and subsequently evaporated. The routing of the new water pipeline is preliminary and MAXIM will be working closely with the community to select the optimal route.
What about wastewater?
Wastewater from the facility will consist of the water treatment wastewater and a small amount of sanitary sewage. Water treatment wastewater consists of the constituent minerals of the potable water received by homes and businesses in the area. Wastewater services will be sourced from the Town of Bruderheim via a pipeline from the facility to existing wastewater treatment system. The routing of the wastewater pipeline is preliminary and MAXIM will be working closely with the community to select the optimal solution.
In addition, a small amount of industrial wastewater will be created from washing equipment and floors. This wastewater, which may contain additional impurities, will be collected on-site and trucked to an appropriate facility for disposal.
What about emissions?
The Deerland Peaking Station will be fueled by the same natural gas used to heat local residences. As a result, the proposed facility will emit primarily Nitrogen (75%), Oxygen (14%), water vapour (8%) and Carbon Dioxide (3%). The technology proposed for the facility will be among the cleanest and most efficient in the world and will achieve Alberta's stringent new guidelines for Oxides of Nitrogen (NOx).
Air emissions from the Deerland Peaking Station that are regulated by Alberta Environment include NOx, Sulfur Dioxide (SO2), Carbon Monoxide (CO) and Particulate Matter (PM).
NOx is created as a result of the burning of natural gas at a high temperature. The major emission source of NOx in the project area is vehicle traffic. The combustion system proposed for the Deerland Peaking Station will have state of the art emission controls and only a very small amount of NOx is created. Air dispersion models show that maximum concentrations of NOx are well below Alberta's Ambient Air Quality Objectives.
SO2 is created as a result of burning sulfur. Because the Deerland Peaking Station will be using the same sales gas as local residents, the amount of sulfur present in the gas is negligible. Air dispersion models show that SO2 emissions will have no discernible impact on the local air shed.
Particulate matter is created by burning solid impurities in fuel. Again, because the Deerland Peaking Station will use natural gas as fuel, release of particulate matter is near the lower limit of detection by analytical equipment. Air dispersion models show that maximum concentrations are well below the Canada Wide Standard.
Carbon monoxide is a product of any burning of organic material and is a result of incomplete combustion. The major emission source of carbon monoxide in the area is vehicle traffic. The combustion system proposed for the Deerland Peaking Station will burn at a very high temperature, resulting in efficient, complete combustion. Air dispersion models show that maximum concentrations of carbon monoxide are well below Alberta's Ambient Air Quality Objectives.
Alberta Environment developed the Ambient Air Quality Objectives from the Alberta Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act (EPEA). Air quality objectives are generally established for one-hour, 24-hour and annual averaging periods. These objectives are based on an evaluation of both social and technical factors.
What about Electric and Magnetic Fields (EMF)?
The location of the Deerland Peaking Station was selected because it does not require the construction of any new electric transmission facilities. By locating the facility adjacent to an existing high voltage substation, the distances to existing EMF sources have been maintained and as a result, the EMF situation will be no different than it is today.
Where will the electricity generated be used?
The proposed facility will deliver its output directly into the Alberta grid. As a peaking facility, the power generated by the facility will typically be used to meet Alberta's peak needs.
How will the electricity generated be sold?
Electricity generated at the proposed facility will be sold into the Alberta wholesale electric market. Electricity prices in the wholesale market are set by the forces of supply and demand to ensure that the lowest available cost electricity is being produced at any given time.
When will the Deerland Peaking Station begin generation?
If successful in obtaining the required approvals, MAXIM expects commercial operation to begin in mid-2009 to late 2009.
What is the current status of the Project?
The Project is in the planning, permitting and public consultation stages. A final decision regarding construction of the Project likely won't be made until 2008.
What is the Regulatory Process?
On June 13, 2008, MAXIM received regulatory approvals from the Alberta Utilities Commission and Alberta Environment.
How do I participate?
MAXIM is committed to a thorough consultation process which provides numerous opportunities for you to learn more about the project and share your views with us. You are encouraged to share your ideas and ask questions during our open house or in writing so your needs can be investigated and addressed. You may also make submissions directly to the EUB.
We have planned numerous opportunities for participation including:
Personal consultation for any interested stakeholder.
Landowners and residents within a 2 km radius of the proposed site will receive a personal visit from project representatives who will share project information and discuss any questions or concerns you may have.
Expanded notification and consultation.
Landowners and residents between 2 km and 3 km of the proposed facility will receive a consultation package in the mail and personal visits are extended to all interested parties requesting such a visit.
Open House.
MAXIM will be hosting an open house during which area residents can find out more about the project and discuss their views directly with project representatives.
Public Consultation Line.
Our public consultation team would be happy to answer questions or to find the answers you need. If your issue is complicated, they can put you in contact with someone who can address it.
If you require additional information or have ideas to share, please call our toll-free
Public Consultation Line at
1-866-414-0008.
