Hyer makes a stop on the mound overlooking Ghost Lake and the Bow River. It points to a nine-acre (3.6-hectare) site where TransAlta hopes to build a 180-megawatt battery energy storage system, believed to be the largest of its kind in the province. The batteries will be charged from the nearby hydroelectric dam. About 360 megawatt hours of electricity will be stored and then sold to the provincial grid during periods of peak demand. Heier, speaking on behalf of about 60 other homeowners in the Cottage Club development, says TransAlta chose the wrong location for the lithium-ion batteries, which have failed and caught fire in several incidents around the world in recent years and have caused injuries first responders. Despite the company’s efforts to prevent him and his community from participating in the Alberta Utilities Commission’s (AUC) review of the project, Heier says he must speak before an AUC hearing on the project later this summer. “We don’t think this was that well thought out. We think our community has been taken away from having a say,” he said. Heier is also disappointed some of the maps filed by TransAlta with the AUC fail to highlight or designate the Cottage Club community as a residential area. Mike Heier says this project site map does not mark or name the Cottage Club community, even though at least eight properties are within 400 meters of the proposed battery energy storage system. The majority of the community is within 800 meters of the site. (Submitted by Mike Heier) Haier, who has five children and six grandchildren, is concerned about the dangers associated with a potential fire and the noxious fumes that could reach his community, which is between 350 and 800 meters from the proposed battery site. He says reports have shown the fires are difficult to put out and can burn for days. Heier says TransAlta hasn’t done a good enough job consulting and interacting with him and his neighbors, who have expressed concerns about the risks. A collage of images of a fire at a battery energy storage system near Melbourne, Australia, in July 2021. (Twitter) Residents have also raised concerns about site aesthetics, noise, light pollution, dust, traffic safety, use of chemical fire extinguishers and washing into the Bow River and the impact on property values. TransAlta declined to answer specific questions from CBC News about the project. “In the interest of fairness to all parties, we believe it is important to respect the AUC process and reserve any comment until the process is complete. We look forward to the AUC’s thorough and timely review of our application and to everyone’s participation of stakeholders,” the company said in an email to CBC. At least eight Cottage Club properties, 40 kilometers west of Calgary’s city limits, are within 400 meters of a proposed battery energy storage facility. (Bryan Labby/CBC) Instead, TransAlta provided links to a series of reports and documents it has filed with the AUC as part of its application — topics include the project itself, community involvement, fire risk and plume and emissions analysis. The company says it has followed project notification rules set by the AUC and consulted with dozens of people who live within 800 meters of the site. TransAlta tried unsuccessfully to block Heier and the Cottage Club from participating in the AUC hearing process, citing a restrictive covenant on individual properties that prevents homeowners from interfering with TransAlta’s operations. AUC rejected the company’s request. “They just didn’t want to hear anything from us, and the committee made it clear to them,” Hyer said.
Thermal runaway less likely
TransAlta says it plans to use a type of lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery that will be less likely to thermal runaway — one of the main risks associated with Li-ion batteries. Thermal runaway occurs when the battery cell reaches an uncontrolled self-heating state, according to UL Research Institutes. Thermal runaway can result in extremely high temperatures, smoke, fire, and ejection of gases, fragments, and particles. Water is released from Ghost Lake Reservoir into the Bow River last week. TransAlta is proposing a 180 megawatt battery energy storage facility along the south bank of the river. (Bryan Labby/CBC) According to air quality dispersion modeling and a risk assessment commissioned by TransAlta, certain types of lithium-ion batteries can fail, leading to spontaneous combustion and thermal runaway. Fires can burn for days and require tens of thousands of liters of water to extinguish or cool neighboring batteries. Some fire officials said the best way to fight the fires is to let them burn, which can take days. The report says TransAlta plans to use lithium iron phosphate batteries, which they say are less toxic than other types of Li-ion batteries. He says the two main compounds of concern from a potential fire are hydrogen fluoride and carbon monoxide. The company says it plans to include smoke and gas detectors in all battery units, which will not exceed 200.
Harmful fumes contained in the premises
The consultant concluded that emissions from a fire would exceed Alberta’s ambient air quality targets within the battery complex, but would dissipate by the time they reached the Cottage Club and would not cause health or safety concerns. “All projected air quality concentrations beyond the TransAlta property line and in nearby residential and recreational areas are in compliance with AAAQOs (Alberta ambient air quality objectives),” the report said. TransAlta plans to build a 180-megawatt battery energy storage system in two phases next to Ghost Lake Reservoir. (TransAlta) “The IDLH (immediately dangerous to life or health) will not be exceeded at the BESS (battery energy storage system) site fence line for air pollutants of concern.” “The risk to the public and local residents from a fire associated with the type of battery cells proposed for this BESS is low.” “Safety is paramount to TransAlta and is a key factor in determining battery type, battery placement and emergency response plans,” the company said in a separate filing in December 2021. A separate environmental assessment of the project — conducted for TransAlta — says it is not expected to have “significant adverse environmental effects” on land, soils, groundwater, vegetation or wildlife.
Consultations, engagement
In a filing with the AUC, TransAlta outlined its community engagement and consultation strategy. It included an initial project newsletter sent in October 2021, followed by project updates in November and December. Project managers met with the board and community residents in the fall of 2021 and held a virtual meeting attended by 10 people. About 300 property owners, most of them in the Cottage Club, were notified of the project. Project officials reached out to 62 property owners during door-to-door visits and nearly 400 calls and emails were either sent or received by the company. At the time, the company said that COVID-19 restrictions meant it would not host an in-person meeting at the town hall. The community invited TransAlta to an open meeting, but the company declined, saying it didn’t get enough notice. TransAlta did not respond to a question about its attempt to block the owners of the Cottage Club from participating in the AUC hearing. The Cottage Club community is expressing concerns about TransAlta’s proposed battery energy storage system immediately downstream of the reservoir. (Bryan Labby/CBC)
The county approves the project without evidence
Hyer says he and his neighbors are disappointed that Rocky View County exempted the project from a land use rezoning and development permit, which would have prompted a public hearing. The planning director for the county said in a letter to TransAlta that the battery energy storage system is “ancillary infrastructure” to the hydroelectric facility, so no land use or development approval would be required. Mike Heier is concerned about the potential risks associated with a proposed battery energy storage system near his home. (Bryan Labby/CBC) TransAlta referred to land use rezoning as a “must” in its planning materials. He had also prepared a public notice for his application. “We’ve had zero consultation through our county,” Heier said. “So once they approved it, and what would normally be a mailing process where the community would be engaged because we’re so close to it, there’s absolutely zero engagement.” “I had a post office for my 40-square-foot office in my attic to everybody in the community,” he said. “When it comes to a $120 million project, right on our toes, there’s nothing,” he said. The AUC hearing is scheduled for three days from August 3. Bryan Labby is a business reporter at CBC Calgary. If you have a good story idea or tip, you can contact him at [email protected] or on Twitter at @CBCBryan.
