A Calgary based electricity producer has launched a lawsuit aimed to prevent fracking near the Brazeau Dam.
TransAlta Corp is suing the province in an attempt to prevent the practice in the area of the dam, which is one of Alberta’s largest hydroelectric projects, as well as the nearby Brazeau power plant. The company’s concern is based on the fear that fracking may cause earthquakes, which would threaten any infrastructure in the area.
Fracking is not currently permitted within three kilometres of the plant. However, there is a zone between three and five kilometres where the activity is allowed subject to approval from the Alberta Energy Regulator. It’s understood that two companies, Westbrick Energy and Ridgeback Resources, have applied to frack within that zone. A hearing on those applications is scheduled for early next year
The Brazeau Dam was completed in 1963 and has been generating power since 1965. It is 100 percent owned by TransAlta and is the company’s largest hydro project, generating an average of 397,000 megawatt hours.
According to court documents quoted by the CBC, the company said the province “has not developed, implemented or enacted any clear policy directives that will protect the Brazeau Storage and Power Development from “unacceptable” risks posed by hydraulic fracturing in close proximity.”
Fracking has been a common practice in this part of Alberta since the 1960s. There have been a number of reported earth tremors in recent years, including one between Drayton Valley and Rocky Mountain House in 2019.
It’s unclear at this time when TransAlta’s lawsuit will come to court.
