Following consultations throughout 2024, the Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC) released a draft blackline version of Rule 007: Facility Applications on March 23, 2025 and invited written feedback from interested parties and stakeholders.
Rule 007 sets out the application requirements for the construction, alteration, operation, and the discontinuation, dismantling and removal of power plants, substations, transmission lines, industrial system designations, hydro developments and gas utility pipelines, including renewable energy developments. Rule 007 also addresses the consultation process that proponents must follow when making facility applications to the AUC and how municipalities are considered in that process.
According to the AUC, the changes contained within the draft blackline were informed by feedback received through consultations conducted between May and September 2024, consideration of the Electric Energy Land Use and Visual Assessment Regulation enacted in December 2024, and the current interim information requirements contained in Bulletin 2024-25.
To support members’ development of their own written feedback to the Rule 007 Blackline, RMA has developed a Member Guide that emphasizes key themes and common rural concerns on the siting, application, approval, and reclamation process for renewable energy projects. The Guide is structured around the four priority policy areas identified by RMA as crucial to ensuring renewable energy industry growth, which are:
- Municipalities’ role in the approval process and project alignment with municipal plans
- Agricultural land impacts
- Reclamation requirements
- Visual impact assessments and viewscapes
The Rule 007 Blackline will be available for feedback until May 23, 2025. Parties may submit their written feedback on the draft blackline by emailing engage@auc.ab.ca with the subject line “007 rule feedback.” All written submissions will be made publicly available on the AUC’s Rule 007 Engage page.
RMA encourages members to use the Member Guide as a baseline for developing their own written submissions that incorporate their priorities and experiences with the previous AUC process, renewable energy companies, or other relevant factors.
Joseph Kay
Policy Advisor
587.689.5484
joseph@rmalberta.com
Wyatt Skovron
General Manager of Policy & Advocacy
780.955.4096
wyatt@rmalberta.com