Find a way to protect a grizzly habitat. Fast.
Environmental Consulting, Project Permitting
The Task:
Determine and mitigate the impact of a planned $60 million hydroelectric project on a grizzly habitat, and assess whether fisheries will be affected.
The Client:
Boralex is a power producer whose core business is dedicated to the development and the operation of renewable energy power stations. Boralex is known for its diversified expertise and in-depth experience in four power generation types — wind, hydroelectric, thermal and solar. In 2014, they completed construction of a run-of-river 22 MW production capacity and an 18km transmission line at Jamie Creek near Golden, BC. (www.boralex.com)
The Challenge:
The initial plan overlapped a highly valued grizzly habitat and a solution had to be provided before the project could proceed. The extent of fisheries values was also unknown at the outset, which placed additional uncertainty on the project’s viability. Boralex needed an experienced environmental consultant who knew industry and government requirements and was capable of quickly formulating a practical strategy to move forward.
The Solution:
PGL developed a comprehensive and transparent approach to assess grizzly bear habitat constraints. Our technical experts worked cooperatively with Ministry of Environment experts to assess the true extent of potential impacts. Concurrently, other team members assessed the aquatic habitat and confirmed no fisheries-related constraints.
The Result:
We provided recommendations for significant changes to the project’s concept which avoided select grizzly habitat without sacrificing overall viability of the project. We later became lead author for the project’s Environmental Impact Assessment, and developed the Construction Environmental Management Plan and a long-term Operational Environmental Monitoring Program.
The project gained major approvals in 2012. Construction completed in 2014 and the project is now operational. Long-term environmental monitoring for the project is planned to continue until 2020.