Committee questions safety and proximity of Coaldale renewable energy project’s turbines

Sunny South News Photo Submitted by A concerned resident to CTV after the incident.

By Nerissa McNaughton
Southern Alberta Newspapers

The Coaldale Renewable Energy Project is a hybrid renewable energy facility that combines five wind turbines and up to 5 MW of ground-mounted solar panels. This project aims to bring McCain closer to their goal of achieving 100 per cent renewable electricity by 2030. With a total installed capacity of up to 40 MW, this facility is designed to generate enough clean, zero-emissions electricity to meet – or even exceed – the needs of McCain’s Coaldale processing plant. Construction is slated to start in late 2025, with the wind turbines and solar panels operational by 2026.

However, some Coaldale residents have raised apprehensions about potential impacts, such as the noise from wind turbines, changes to the local landscape, and long-term effects on property values. Others wonder how the project aligns with Coaldale’s broader development plans and whether it will disrupt local ecosystems.

Karen Laturnus, spokesperson with the Chin Action Committee, says the project will place the five wind turbines around 1.5 kilometres from residences, a school, and businesses – and that can pose serious risks.

“There is evidence that there are lots of ill effects on health – on animals and people – with turbines that close in vicinity,” says Laturnus. She goes on to note that the turbines themselves are not the main issue. It’s the location.

“Within a kilometre and a half of the site, there are two poultry farms, and a dairy operation now sits just outside that range because one wind turbine was relocated. That still leaves three livestock operations at risk of potential negative effects. The main concern is the infrasonic pulses emitted by wind turbines—low-frequency sounds you can’t see but are known to cause discomfort and health issues, as studies in Europe have shown. Beyond that, there’s the impact on property aesthetics and values. While some might claim that turbines don’t devalue property, it’s hard to imagine buyers offering the same price for land with a wind turbine looming in the backyard.”

Some of the studies and reports include Adverse Environmental Impact of Wind Turbines, 2024 (europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/E-9-2024-000264_EN.html), where questions and issues put to Parliament (Parliamentary question – E-000264/2024) included: “According to a study by the Finnish Institute of Natural Resources up to 63% of bird species, 72% of bats and 67% of mammals move up to 5 kilometres away from areas where wind turbines are installed… In December 2023, the Nimes Court of Appeal ordered the demolition of seven wind turbines in the Herault department in the south of France precisely because of their adverse environmental impact. Is the Commission not concerned that there will be more such rulings in the future?”

Closer to home, The Potential Health Impact of Wind Turbines, Chief Medical Officer of Health (CMOH) Report, 2010 notes (in summary) “The Chief Medical Officer of Health (CMOH) of Ontario, supported by the Ontario Agency for Health Protection and Promotion (OAHPP), the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC), and the Council of Ontario Medical Officers of Health (COMOH), prepared a report addressing public health concerns about wind turbine noise. After reviewing existing scientific evidence, the report concludes that while some residents near wind turbines report symptoms such as dizziness, headaches, and sleep disturbances, there is no direct causal link between wind turbine noise and adverse health effects. It also finds that noise levels at standard residential setbacks are not high enough to cause hearing impairment or other direct health issues, though some individuals may find the noise annoying. (https://www.simcoemuskokahealth.org/docs/default-source/topic-environment/health_impacts_wind_turbines)

It does bear noting that while no hearing loss is a clear positive, “dizziness, headaches, and sleep disturbances” should not be overlooked or ignored, as residents typically choose not to endure people, places, or things that make them feel regularly ill.

While the adverse effects on wildlife are shown across numerous published studies, “Wind Turbine Syndrome,” which refers largely to the adverse effects on humans, is harder to prove. The National Library of Medicine, National Center for Biology Information, notes “…a small proportion of people that live near wind turbines have reported adverse health effects such as (but not limited to) ringing in ears, headaches, lack of concentration, vertigo, and sleep disruption that they attribute to the wind turbines,” before delving into factors that both support and do not support such claims.

The question then remains, with proven effects on biodiversity and evolving research on human health impact, is the only way to see if the residents of Coaldale will be adversely affected is to push ahead with the project? Or will the Chin Action Committee be successful in their aims to have the turbines located further away from residences, the school, businesses, and farms?

Laturnus certainly hopes so. She and the Action Committee are doing their due diligence, supporting their claims with research, attending the public meetings, and going through the right channels in hopes of being heard. And they have been doing this for quite some time.

After first reading up on the impacts and speaking up in 2021, the Chin Action Committee says the issue was “back burnered.”

“The pandemic occurred, and everything was put on hold. Later, at one point when I went to the open house, one employee of McCain’s representatives told me they were doing it ‘because it looked good on the world stage,’ and that’s a direct quote. They are putting these windmills up because they have to meet their ESG score – so that’s part of it.”

Laturnus has also spoken to Lethbridge County and has been told that there are no setback limits in their bylaws for windmills near residences – therefore no bylaws are being broken by the Coaldale Renewable Energy Project.

There are plans to address council again, and Laturnus and the Chin Action Committee do appreciate that Elemental Energy, who is running the project, is approachable for questions and is providing project information. She also notes that energy companies are registering concerns alongside some of the residents.

In addition to the concerns noted, the Chin Action Committee had one more item to add as of November of this year. 

The Halkirk 2 wind farm in Paintearth County was shut down when a nacelle and rotor fell from one of the turbines. According to Capital Power, the turbines at Halkirk 2 are the largest installed by the company to date, with 74-metre long blades. No injuries were reported, and public property remained undamaged. A resident submitted a photo to CTV News Calgary and said, “Residents several kilometres away heard a loud explosion but didn’t know what happened.” The site went into stand down but is expected to become operational again later this year.

“Halkirk is where farmers have agreed to have windmills on private land,” says Laturnus. “The turbine ran for a couple of days, then fell down. If a turbine out here at that size fell near the railroad, potentially it would impact the tracks.”

For the Chin Action Committee, these are the types of issues that need to be considered – both reports and studies locally and abroad, incidences close to home, and resident experiences from those living in proximity to large turbines.

“Some counties do have setback limits” she adds, further noting again that the issue is not a pushback on renewable energy – it’s the proximity; the placement.

Which way will the wind ultimately blow on this issue? Elemental Energy still has some due diligence to do before construction takes place, and with further meetings and council appearances for concerned citizens such as those in the Chin Action Committee, only time will tell.

Stay tuned.