Economic development Vulcan County’s $600 million windfall in southern Alberta By Jonathan Allan Economic development officer, Vulcan Business Development Society Vulcan County is a rural community settled by hard- working homesteaders at the midway point between Calgary and Lethbridge in southern Alberta. With a population of about 7,000, the county’s main sources of individual income and employment are tied to the agricultural sector, oil and gas, and the civil service, though efforts are being made via the Vulcan Business Development Society (VBDS) to diversify the industrial mix of the region by encouraging and advancing pro- gressive, high-tech ventures. Alternative and renewable energy development rep- resents one such area of opportunity for progressive and advanced business development. Being just east of the Rocky Mountains, Vulcan’s beautiful prairie land- scape is replete with wind coming down off the moun- tains, perfect for power generation. Taking advantage of the inherent opportunity exis- tent in the Vulcan area, Enbridge and EDF Energies Nouvelles will break ground this quarter on a $600 mil- 24 – Spring 2013 — The Canadian Design and Construction Report lion wind power project near the Village of Carmangay in southern Vulcan County. A total of 166 turbines will be installed, with the capacity to harness energy for up to 140,000 homes – making it the largest wind energy project in Western Canada. Together, Enbridge and EDF purchased the Blackspring Ridge project from GreenGate Power Corp. Construction of the project will be undertaken by EDF EN Canada, with completion set for mid-2014. The Danish company Vestas Wind Systems AS, one of the largest and highest-quality wind turbine manufacturers in the world, is supplying the generators and compo- nents to the turbines. During the peak phase of con- struction, it is anticipated that up to 250 people will be employed. There are several key factors which are currently being worked out, including the construction of roads to the project site. Furthermore, an adequate supply of housing and shelter will be required for the large influx of workers coming into this sparsely populated area. In fact, currently two unrelated housing develop- ment projects are under construction in two different areas of Vulcan County, which, if housing supplies are indeed found to be short due to the development of Blackspring Ridge, could be accelerated by the market demand for their use. Found in the Village of Milo, phase one of the Crystal Blue housing development is a $5 million-plus project on the shores of Lake MacGre- gor. Construction will begin on the first of up to 100 homes by the end of this year.