County of St. Paul Considering 1.5-Kilometre Wind Turbine Setbacks

The County of St. Paul is exploring new rules that could require wind turbines to be built at least 1.5 kilometres away from homes.

The discussion happened during a recent council meeting as councillors debated how much control municipalities should have over renewable energy projects and whether Alberta needs clearer province-wide standards.

Reeve Glen Ockerman said council has moved away from earlier conversations around a proposed 10-kilometre setback and believes a smaller distance may be more realistic.

“I think the 1.5 from residents would work for all the county,” Ockerman said. “Before we looked at a 10 km and I’ve heard council said they couldn’t support that or back it up.”

The proposed setback would apply specifically to wind turbines and would not affect solar panel developments or other renewable energy infrastructure.

Council’s discussion comes as the Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC) continues reviewing province-wide setback guidelines for renewable energy projects. Current discussions at the provincial level have included setback distances ranging from 800 metres to 1,500 metres from homes, schools and hospitals.

Ockerman said he still believes the province should ultimately be taking the lead on these decisions rather than municipalities.

“I always wished the province would take the lead on this since they were the approvers on that,” he said. “We weren’t approvers. We could make recommendations.”

The reeve noted that municipalities are often left to deal with resident concerns, even though the province retains final approval authority over projects.

Several rural municipalities across Alberta have already introduced stronger wind turbine regulations in recent years. Counties such as Kneehill and the M.D. of Provost have publicly discussed or adopted setbacks of around 1.6 kilometres from residences, while some municipalities have also added rules on noise, shadow flicker, reclamation plans, and road use agreements.

Renewable energy development has become an increasingly divisive issue in some rural parts of Alberta, with supporters pointing to economic opportunities and opponents raising concerns about turbine proximity, noise, visual impacts and agricultural land use.

During the discussion, Gary Buchanan, the County of St. Paul’s Director of Planning and Development, cautioned council that any future bylaw amendment would need to stay narrowly focused on setback distances in order to meet public hearing and procedural requirements.

Council also acknowledged that even if the county amends its own land use bylaw, the Alberta Utilities Commission would still retain final authority over approving future wind energy projects.

Administration was directed to continue researching the issue and bring more information back to council at a future meeting.