An overhead, high voltage transmission line is putting Enmax and a northeast Calgary community at odds, with a petition now circulating against the utility’s proposal.
Enmax is proposing a $40 million replacement for a 138 kilovolt (kV) transmission line through the community of Winston Heights-Mountainview, which has been in service since the late 1970s.
According to Enmax, the Central Calgary Transmission Line Replacement Project is required “to ensure continued reliability and meet the long-term needs of the electricity system.”
However, the power company’s preferred route would bring the line above ground, which has charged opposition in the neighbourhood.
“We’ve lived in the area for 25 years and I’ve never seen people rally around something like this before,” said Craig Baskett, who started the petition against the proposal.
Enmax’s preferred route would see the line run overhead down a residential street, along Munro Park and down 17 Avenue N.E. between Edmonton Trail and Moncton Road. The line would continue overhead through the new Midfield Heights development towards Deerfoot Trail.
The main concern for residents is the high-voltage transmission line would be held up by self-supporting steel monopoles, ranging in height between 22 to 28 meters.
“We have no problem with the line in the neighbourhood, we just believe that it should be buried with the other utilities under 17 Avenue,” said DJ Kelly, a nearby resident who is running for city council in Ward 4 for the Calgary Party.
Enmax has also submitted an alternate route for the line that largely runs underground through Winston Heights-Mountainview, and emerges above ground between Moncton Road and Deerfoot Trail.
The utility said is has to present “all comparable routes” in its application after considering “technical, social, environmental and cost considerations, particularly the cost impact on Alberta rate payers.”
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According to Enmax, the alternate route would add $10 million to the project’s costs.
“So they are seeking to reduce costs but it will concentrate the impact on this local community instead,” said Alex Reed, president of the Winston Heights-Mountainview Community Association.
The main concerns for residents, besides the aesthetic of the monopoles, include impacts to the community’s green space, property values and future development in the area.
“We’re seeing an increase of density in the neighbourhood,” Kelly said. “This will discourage density along this particular route, which right now is fully in development and has other developments currently being planned.”
The residents plan to forward the petition to Enmax, Enmax’s Board of Directors, the City of Calgary Ward 4 Coun. Sean Chu, Mayor Jyoti Gondek and MLA Lizette Tejada.
Chu did not respond to Global News’ request for comment.
However, the decision will be out of city council’s hands despite the city acting as the sole shareholder for Enmax.
The decision on which route the transmission line will take will come from the Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC), which is set to make a decision next month.
In a statement to Global News, Enmax said has engaged residents to share information and address concerns with its proposal.
“This includes answering questions and directing residents to the independent third-party reports on routing, siting and environmental impacts in our application and providing residents with information on what the AUC has previously stated regarding visual impacts and impacts on property values,” a spokesperson for Enmax said.
Enmax said the utility is prepared to proceed with construction on either route, which would begin in early 2026 if approved by the AUC.
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