CEAA refers Amisk project to independent review panel

OTTAWA, O.N. — Minister of Environment and Climate Change Catherine McKenna has opted to refer the environmental assessment of the proposed Amisk Hydroelectric Project in Alberta — which could be the fourth dam on the Peace River — to an independent review panel.

McKenna chose to make that decision after considering its ‘potential to cause significant adverse environmental effects’ and after the public and Indigenous groups expressed concerns regarding those effects.

The Minister has set timelines for the environmental assessment of the project as follows.

According to the news release from the Government of Canada, the timeline for the review panel to be established is three months from the date of the referral of the project — which was Feb. 12, 2016.

Next, the timeline for the review panel to submit its report is 16 months from the date of the establishment of the review panel.

Finally, the timeline for the federal Minister’s decision statement to be issued is five months from the date of the submission of the review panel’s report.

This puts a decision roughly two years away, but the CEAA notes the above timelines don’t include the time the proponent will take to complete its work or gather information required for the environmental assessment.

The Amisk Hydroelectric Project is a proposal by AHP Development Corporation to construct and operate a 330-megawatt hydroelectric facility on the Peace River, approximately 15 km upstream of Dunvegan, across the provincial border in northwestern Alberta.

Construction included in the project would encompass a powerhouse, spillway, headpond, fish passage, boat passage, a connecting transmission line and substation, as well as access roads and other construction related components.

If built, Amisk would generate approximately 1,875 gigawatt hours of electricity per year.