Stakeholder and Aboriginal Engagement

ENMAX's Stakeholder Relations department's name was updated in 2008 to Stakeholder and Aboriginal Relations, to more accurately reflect our commitment to engage with Aboriginal peoples in our project development.

Information and involvement are the guiding principles of ENMAX's stakeholder consultation practice. Our stakeholders include customers, First Nations, residents, landowners and businesses impacted by capital projects, government, community associations, business associations, synergy groups, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), special interest groups and industry members. We believe they have a right to be informed and involved, from large capital project consultation to more localized infrastructure improvement programs. ENMAX adheres to provincial regulations to identify and engage stakeholders who may be impacted by our proposed or existing facilities. Because individual projects have unique characteristics, we develop a detailed engagement plan for each, which includes a situational analysis of the project area. We then use this information to develop our approach, including target audience, communication mechanisms and frequency of engagement.

In 2009, ENMAX consulted with communities regarding 16 new infrastructure or upgrade projects. Approximately 22,170 stakeholders in Alberta primarily and B.C. were notified and consulted, using an array of communications tools such as personal visits through door knocking, open houses, regular newsletter updates, web-based information sites, email and letter mail updates, facility tours, public notices in local newspapers and other tools deemed appropriate for the particular project. The specific projects are listed below, followed by the number of stakeholders we engaged:

• Shepard Energy Centre - Phase 2 –720
  The proposed Shepard Energy Centre is an 800 megawatt (MW) natural gas-fired power generation facility, which will provide enough electricity for over half of Calgary's requirements. The facility will be using advanced combustion technology and will produce less than half of the carbon dioxide (CO2) per MW than a conventional coal plant.
  
  
• Phantom Lake Hydro Project –90
  The proposed Phantom Lake project is a 15 MW hydroelectric power generation facility. It will offer a new source of renewable electrical energy to British Columbians, producing enough power for approximately 5,000 homes.
  
  
• Bonnybrook Energy Centre – 7,400
  The proposed Bonnybrook Energy Centre is a 165 MW natural gas-fired facility generating enough electricity for half of downtown Calgary. The waste heat captured by the facility will be used by the neighbouring businesses and future plans also include connecting the Bonnybrook facility to the Downtown District Energy Centre.
  
  
• TransCanada Interconnection –750
  ENMAX Power is proposing to construct approximately 700 metres of single circuit 138 kV (138,000 volt) transmission line. The proposed transmission line would be installed primarily underground and would tie electricity generated from TransCanada Turbines' proposed test cell facility into Calgary's transmission grid.
  
  
• 10th Avenue Temporary Line –300
  ENMAX Power is proposing to construct a temporary 138 kV (138,000 volt) overhead transmission line in downtown Calgary to support the system, reducing the risk of outages while underground transmission cables in the area are being placed.
  
  
• South 69kV Phase 1 and 2 – 6,000
  In order to meet Calgary's growing needs, ENMAX Power is proposing the reinforcement of a section of the existing transmission system – running through south Calgary, between Sarcee Trail in the southwest and Deerfoot Trail in the southeast – from the existing 69 kV to 138 kV. The proposed work would involve converting some existing lines and substations to a higher voltage.
  
  
• West LRT –175
  ENMAX Power is proposing the replacement of four existing lattice transmission towers with four steel poles. These replacements will enable ENMAX Power to raise the existing transmission line for clearances, which is necessary to accommodate infrastructure developments for The City of Calgary's West LRT project.
  
  
• Diamond Cove – 35
  ENMAX Power has a number of power line structures on the east bank of the Bow River (across from the community of Diamond Cove in Calgary). Erosion of the bank has led to a requirement for bank protection to be constructed. It was determined that the best course of action to protect the lands and power line facilities, including a substation in the area, was to install vegetated riprap along a segment of the east river to mitigate erosion. ENMAX Power implemented a number of mitigation strategies designed to ensure the integrity of the ecosystem including performing in-stream construction in a short timeframe to avoid interfering with fish spawning and installing a work site sediment containment system.
  
  
• Substation #'s 6, 54, 47, 5, 24, 8, 16, 13 in Calgary – 6,700
  In order to support the growing electricity demands throughout Calgary, ENMAX Power is proposing both capacity additions to existing substations and builds of new substations.

ENMAX tracks the feedback we receive in a database and makes efforts to incorporate input where possible. Examples of how we did this in 2009 include:

• Crossfield Energy Centre, Crossfield, Alberta – stakeholder feedback led to the creation of a landscaping plan which was incorporated into the final development plan.
  
  
• Shepard Energy Centre, Calgary, Alberta – ENMAX Energy evaluated feedback received from initial door knocking to develop a working group to communicate key concerns to ENMAX Energy. A Community Advisory Group (CAG) was established to develop strategies for impact mitigation. ENMAX Energy considered stakeholder impacts and feedback as part of the development of the final general arrangement.
  
  
• South 69kV Phase 1 and 2, Calgary, Alberta – ENMAX Power considered feedback from the school parent council and incorporated street paving as part of upgrades to the No. 10 Substation.
  
  
• No. 47 Substation, Calgary, Alberta – ENMAX Power reviewed feedback from residents who were interested in forming a Community Advisory Group (CAG) to develop a visual impact mitigation strategy including feedback on building colours and potential feedback on landscaping.
  
  
• No. 16 Substation, Calgary, Alberta – During consultation it was identified stakeholders were unhappy about ENMAX Power's proposal to permanently move underground transmission to overhead. The project was redesigned to mitigate these concerns by implementing a two-phased solution. Phase one will be temporary installation of overhead infrastructure, required to address an immediate need. Phase two will involve the removal of the temporary infrastructure and reinstallation of underground cabling.
  

ENMAX Energy participates in monthly synergy group meetings in areas of current or future generation project development.

Listening and ensuring we understand stakeholder concerns is one of the most important aspects of the stakeholder consultation process. Following are some examples of how ENMAX responded to stakeholder concerns throughout 2009:

• Phantom Lake Hydro Project, British Columbia – Stakeholders expressed an interest in commenting on Hydromax Energy Ltd. (an ENMAX Energy subsidiary based in B.C.) environmental studies in a formal process similar to the BC Environmental Assessment Office’s process for projects over 50 MW. Though a formal regulatory process does not exist for projects less than 50 MW and there is no requirement to publicly post the project development plan and environmental assessment, Hydromax Energy created a process for review of the Phantom Lake Hydro Project to ensure that the issues and concerns of the public, First Nations, interested stakeholders and government agencies are addressed.
  
  
• Bonnybrook Energy Centre, Calgary, Alberta – ENMAX Energy met with the Ramsay Civic Affairs Committee following our first open house to discuss the community’s environmental concerns. As a result, ENMAX Energy agreed to place additional noise monitors in the community to measure existing noise levels and worked with the committee to identify locations for the monitors.
  
  
• For both the Downtown Cable Replacement and 10th Avenue temporary line projects, stakeholder concerns were raised about electromagnetic fields (EMF), aesthetics, decreased on-street parking, parkade access, vehicle and foot traffic and construction noise. ENMAX Power provided education and expertise on EMF, which helped address concerns. ENMAX then identified a variety of acceptable solutions through collaboration with The City of Calgary Roads, the stakeholders themselves and area businesses and community associations.

The ENMAX First Nations Wind Turbine Technician Award
Ty Provost, a member of the Piikani First Nation, is the first recipient of the newly created ENMAX First Nations Wind Turbine Technician Award. The $10,000 scholarship, presented in September 2009, covers books, fees, living expenses and tools for a First Nations student enrolled in Lethbridge College's Wind Turbine Technician program.

The intensive eight-month training program teaches students to diagnose, troubleshoot and maintain electrical and mechanical wind turbine equipment. After completing the program, students may elect to pursue a career in the wind turbine industry and/or continue to work toward journeyman electrician certification.