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Pendleton solar farm future shines bright
GREGG CHAMBERLAIN gregg.chamberlain@eap.on.ca
The light is green so far for a proposed solar farm project in the Pendleton area of Alfred-Plantagenet Township. But there is still more work ahead before the panels go up. The Independent Electricity SystemOpe- rator (IESO) announced approvals for 16 contract offers from the provincial govern- ment to proponents of alternate energy projects under the Large Renewable Pro- curement (LRP) program. One of those “green energy” endeavours is the Pendleton Solar Energy Centre proposal of EDF ENCanada Development Inc. Com- pany spokesmanDavidThornton expressed cautious optimismabout the announcement during a phone interview. «We’re reviewing details of the contract now,» said Thornton, adding that after ra- tifying the agreement with the province, the company’s next move will be another set of meetings with township council and local stakeholders. «We’ll be sitting down with them on the permitting phase of the project,» Thornton said, «to make sure things are all done cor- rectly.» The Pendleton solar farm project calls for an array of solar panels on a 140-acre private parcel of land located about five kilometres west of the Village of Curran, at the southeast corner of County Roads 2 and 19. Upon completion it will generate 14 megawatts of electricity for sale to the provincial power grid. The company’s application for a pro-
The future seems bright for a solar farmproject proposed for Alfred-Plantagenet Township. EDF ENCanada has received provincial approval for its Pendleton Solar Energy Centre. The project still has several more phases of planning and public consultation to undergo before groundbreaking and construction starts. —photo EDF EN Canada
vincial power supply contract included a community benefit agreement for Alfred- Plantagenet Township, valued at almost $500,000 over the 20-year termof the project. That is in addition to the annual inc- reased property tax value for the township, the counties, and the school districts once
more planning phases before actual con- struction and operation of the solar panels take place. But he expressed optimismabout the future of the project. «It’s a good feeling for us,» he said. «We wouldn’t have been successful without the support of council and the community.»
the solar farm site is developed. The project is expected to provide 100 construction jobs when actual installation begins, with potential service and supply benefits for local businesses along with at least one full-time operations job. Thornton said the project still has several
Highway improvement report hits counties desk
through Cumberland to the Split where Highway 174 and Highway 417 intersect in Orléans. Clermont told counties council expan- ding the original route to four-lane status, with six-lanes on the Highway 174 section between the Trim Road intersection and The Split linkup with Innes Road, is themost direct and shortest route option and also avoids needless impact on undeveloped na- tural areas in Ottawa’s eastern rural region. Clermont also noted the option makes use of existing infrastructure during the expansion, allows for increased carpooling, and will support future growth planning for Ottawa’s Official Plan projects. Staff for both AECOM, the City of Ottawa and the UCPRwill continue to refine the re- port for final presentation later in the year to both the UCPR and City of Ottawa councils. Meanwhile Warden Desjardins wants to see whether or not the senior levels of government are willing to provide more towards the 174/17 upgrade on top of their previous commitments. He noted that several other highway pro- jects on the other side of the City of Ottawa benefitted from massive injections of in- frastructure aid funding and that the link between Orléans and Rockland deserves equal consideration. «There was big money invested in the north on the 17 (highway),» Desjardins said. «I don’t see why we couldn’t invest some of that kind of money here.»
GREGG CHAMBERLAIN gregg.chamberlain@eap.on.ca
Building a better highway link between Rockland andOrléansmay cost a lot more than anyone imagined. The latest report on upgrading the route between the two communities estimated that all the improvements needed, inclu- ding traffic safety features, would cost about $450 million. That is six times the amount first calculated when both the federal and provincial governments several years ago committed to providing $40 million each for upgrading the 174/17 link. «We have to get more information,» said Warden Guy Desjardins, who sits as Clarence-Rockland’s mayor on counties council.»»
Marc Clermont (right), counties public works director, discusses some points about the 17/174 report with (left) Angela Taylor, senior project engineer for the City of Ottawa, and AECOM consultant Valerie McGirr. —photo Gregg Chamberlain
Marc Clermont, public works director for the United Counties of Prescott-Russell (UCPR), presented counties council March 9 with a power-point summary of the preli-
minary results of an environmental assess- ment report on upgrading the Highway 174/ County Road 17 route to four-lane status. Joining Clermont as technical backup for the presentation were Angela Taylor, senior project engineer for the City of Ottawa and Valerie McGirr of AECOM, the consulting firm hired to do the assessment. The provincial government commis- sioned the study in 2010 and provided $5 million for the cost, with the UCPR as the lead agency. AECOMhosted several public consultation sessions as part of its review of the route linking Rockland and Orléans and what possible options existed to improve the traffic situation. Of the four possible options reviewed, the report recommended the original plan to upgrade the existing route fromRockland
Inondations printanières : des sacs et du sable disponibles pour les citoyens
La neige sera bientôt de l’histoire ancienne. En effet, les températures douces et la pluie des derniers jours ont fait fondre la neige rapidement. Cela a entraîné une augmentation rapide du niveau des rivières et des cours d’eau. Pour protéger les propriétés contre cette crue des eaux, la Cité de Clarence- Rockland a mis des sacs et du sable à la disponibilité des résidents riverains de la municipalité. Les résidents peuvent venir chercher et remplir leurs sacs de sable à l’hôtel de ville de Rockland, dès le mardi 15 mars à midi. Les inondations printanières ont déjà entraîné la fermeture de plusieurs chemins, soit Le Chemin Lalonde entre les chemins Labelle et Rollin, le Chemin Johnston entre les chemins Russell et Ettyville, le Chemin Boileau entre les chemins Russell et Ettyville, le Chemin Du Lac entre les chemins Lalonde et Maisonneuve ainsi que le Chemin Ettyville entre les chemins Johnston et Boileau. Afin de savoir quand ces chemins seront rouverts, les citoyens peuvent consulter le site web de la municipalité de Clarence-Rockland. – Véronique Charron
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