The Paintearth Wind Project (PWP) began development in 2011 and includes approximately 31,000 acres of land located forty kilometres (km) southeast of the Town of Stettler. The PWP is located on privately owned cultivated and grazing land and will generate clean energy while allowing landowners to continue with their daily activities. The project area has an excellent wind resource which has been verified with over three years of collected onsite wind data.
In 2017, the Paintearth Wind Project LP (PWLP) applied for approval from the Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC) for a 44 turbine, 150 megawatt (MW) wind power plant, and a permit and licence for the Lanes Lake Substation. The AUC application was amended in 2018 to reduce the number of turbines and modify the nameplate capacity of the PWP, and the PWLP received a power plant approval and substation permit and licence from the AUC in January 2020. Additional changes were made in 2022 including a reduction in the number of turbines to 38 turbines and a change in the turbine manufacturer and model, and the PWLP submitted a Letter of Enquiry (LOE) to the AUC. Updated approval for the PWP was received in the summer of 2022 and construction is commencing in September 2022.
Construction of the PWP will involve the installation of thirty-eight (38) Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy (SGRE) 145-5.0 turbines, an underground collector system, access roads, upgrades to existing roads, and the construction of a new collector substation (the Lanes Lake Substation). The PWP nameplate capacity will be 198MW. The project layout is available here.
Construction has resumed at the PWP and the project contractor, Borea Construction ULC, mobilized on-site at the beginning of March. The following is a high-level schedule of key activities in 2023, which may be altered by weather and other unforeseen events. We will notify you again if the schedule changes significantly in the future:
- Completion of Access Road Construction and Road Upgrades – Spring/Summer 2023
- Completion of the Lane Lake Substation – Summer/Fall 2023
- Turbine Foundation Installation – Spring to Fall 2023
- Turbine Deliveries and Erection – Summer to Fall 2023
- Collector Line Installation – Spring to Fall 2023
- Project COD – Spring 2024
Throughout construction, and notably over the summer when turbine components are planned to be delivered to the site, there will be increase traffic on the road. The haul route map for turbine component deliveries will be made available here prior to Summer 2023.
PWLP has engaged local landowners and stakeholders throughout the project development process, and we will continue to do so in a way that respects the community member’s needs. If you have any concerns or questions about the PWP in 2023, please contact the new Construction Manager for the PWP: Silvio Martinez over the phone (403) 471-9757 or email at smartinez@potentiarenewables.com.
PROJECT DOCUMENTS:
Download the February 2023 Newsletter
Download the December 2022 Newsletter
Download the April 2022 Newsletter
Download the January 2022 Newsletter
Download the October 2020 Update Letter
Download the March 2018 Newsletter
Download the Updated February 2017 Newsletter(*Updated AESO REP Award Date)
Download the December 2016 Newsletter
Download the October 2016 Newsletter
PROJECT UPDATES:
March 2023:
Construction activities have resumed and the project contractor, Borea Construction ULC, mobilized on-site at the beginning of March. A new Construction Manager, Silvio Martinez, has taken over from Mike Van Dam starting in 2023.
December 2022:
As of December 15th, construction activities have officially wrapped up for the year. This year, we finished setting up the laydown area, completed 95% of the road stripping, cleared all the turbine pads, constructed almost 50% of the new roads and upgraded almost half of the existing roads. Construction activities will resume in March 2023 and be in full swing until the end of next year.
September 2022:
PWLP is commencing construction on September 19, 2022. Construction this fall is expected to be limited to setting up the laydown area, building new access roads and some turning radii, clearing turbine pads, upgrading some of the existing roads, and commencing construction at the Lanes Lake Substation. There will be a slight increase in traffic on the road this fall as the contractor and PWLP get organized at the Project site. The project layout is available here.
April 2022:
PWLP provided additional details on the PWP in preparation for submitting amendments to the AUC for approval. Details of the updates are available in the April 2022 newsletter.
January 2022:
PWLP is applying for a time extension with the AUC and proposing to amend the PWP layout. Details of the amendment proposals are included in the January 2022 newsletter.
October 2020:
PWLP modified the Project schedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic and commercial operation date has been updated to Fall 2023.
January 2020:
The PWP and Lanes Lake 973S Substation received approval from the AUC.
May 2018:
PWLP amended the AUC applications and reduced the number of turbines at the Paintearth Wind Project (PWP) from 44 to 42.
June 2017:
PWLP submitted applications to the Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC) under Rule 007 and Rule 012, seeking approval for a power plant (Paintearth Wind Project), substation (Lanes Lake 973S), and interconnection.
April 2016:
Potentia Renewables Inc. entered into a partnership with Greengate Power Corporation for the Paintearth Wind Project.

Alberta Utilities Commission:
http://www.auc.ab.ca
Canadian Wind Energy Association (CanWEA):
CanWEA ? General Wind Facts
Environmental Studies
Synthesis of Human-related Avian mortality in Canada
A Comprehensive Analysis of Small-Passerine Fatalities from Collisions with Turbines at Wind Energy Facilities
Canadian Estimate of Bird Mortality due to Collisions and Direct Habitat Loss Associated with Wind Turbine Developments
Property Values
CanWEA – Property Value Facts
Impact of Industrial Wind Turbines on Residential Property Assessment in Ontario Study by MPAC
Lighting
Transport Canada – Wind Turbine Marking and Lighting
Electric and Magnetic Fields
Government of Canada information on Electricity and Electric and Magnetic Fields (EMFs)
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