Travers Solar Project environmental assessment, permitting, and construction support

VULCAN COUNTY, ALBERTA

PROJECT SUMMARY

In 2017, Travers 2 Solar LP retained Matrix Solutions to support the environmental components of the Travers Solar Project in Vulcan County, Alberta. The project is being developed on approximately 1,350 hectares of agricultural land and will have a capacity of up to 465 MWac once fully operational (expected by end of 2022).

OUR ROLE

Matrix was brought onboard early in the project life cycle to facilitate the permitting and construction of the project. Our teams undertook the following to support our client:

Constraints mapping to identify areas of potential environmental concern for siting of the project.
Baseline wildlife and vegetation surveys following the Wildlife Directive for Alberta Solar Energy Projects (GoA 2017).
Alberta Environment and Parks Renewable Energy Report submission and response to supplemental information requests (SIR).
Supporting environmental questions included in the Alberta Utilities Commission application and SIRs.
Material development and attendance at stakeholder open house.
Preparation of a Conceptual Conservation and Reclamation Plan following the Conservation and Reclamation Directive for Renewable Energy Operations (GoA 2018).
Completion of pre-development site assessments for soil, vegetation and wetlands following the C&R Directive.
Preparation of a seeding plan and seed mixes.
Preparation of and support for the Water Act application.
Environmental inspections during site construction including soil salvage, stockpiling and replacement, weeds and wetland assessments, and wildlife surveys.

The detailed surveys and reports were completed to quantify baseline conditions, develop mitigations for sustainable management of environmental constraints, develop reclamation and closure plans to restore land use at closure, and provide best management practices for environmentally responsible construction of the project.

OUTCOME

Matrix’s work and understanding of the regulatory expectations for solar developments allowed for the project to follow a straight-forward permitting process. Under the direction of the Matrix team, appropriate information was collected during the early stages, which facilitated the Travers Solar project receiving regulatory approvals in a timely fashion and with minimal supplemental information requests (SIRs).

Matrix also developed clear mitigations to reduce project impacts, drawing on our experience supporting the construction of projects and the potential feasibility of implementation during construction. Prior to and during construction, Matrix continued to provide key guidance on how to execute the project while meeting regulatory and stakeholder expectations.