TransAlta will be expanding its Summerview Wind Farm near Pincher Creek next spring.

The $123-million project will add 22 three-megawatt V90 Vesta wind turbines, able to generate 66-megawatts.

Once the expansion is completed, the wind farm, west of Brocket, will be able to produce 136 megawatts or enough to produce power for 55,000 homes for a year.

A lack of capacity on existing transmission lines has held up expansion of wind power in many parts of southern Alberta.

Jennifer Pierce, the vice-president of communications and investor relations with TransAlta, said there needs to be some action taken to facilitate the increase in transmission lines.

"It's very important to the overall stability of Alberta's grid and to putting on more renewable power in the province," she said.

"As a generation company, we've got a great ability to build plants but we don't own transmission and we do think there is a great opportunity for the government and other stakeholders to play a role in helping to facilitate the development of new transmission capacity within the province."

In order for a new transmission line to be built, the Alberta Electric System Operator, which oversees the provincial transmission grid, must see a need for more capacity and submit the need and preferred option to the Alberta Utilities Commission, which took over some responsibilities from the Alberta Energy and Utilities Board.

If the utilities commission approves the system operator's proposal, then a transmission facility owner, such as AltaLink, must apply to the utilities commission to build the transmission line. Ratepayers cover the cost of new transmission lines through a transmission line charge on their power bills.

Pierce said without the transmission line capacity increasing it means companies such as TransAlta are unable to move the power where it needs to go.

She said not having the capacity is already holding up projects because no company is going to expand unless it's guaranteed the ability to move the power. She said the company has the potential to develop an additional 500 megawatts of renewable energy in southern Alberta if more transmission capacity was available.

The expansion project at the Summerview site will be located adjacent to the original site, with work beginning in April 2009 and the project expected to open in early 2010, so long as it is approved by the province and municipality.

TransAlta also operates Castle River near Pincher Creek, McBride Lake south of Fort Macleod and is building Blue Trail wind farm southwest of Fort Macleod. The company has also recently announced the 96-megawatt Kent Hills Wind Farm in New Brunswick.