After delays, the long-awaited appeal board hearing for a biodigester in Foothills County will take place later this month.
The Environmental Appeals Board (EAB) hearing for the Rimrock Renewables biodigester had been scheduled for November but was pushed back and will now take place on Jan. 27-28 and 30-31.
Alberta Environment and Protected Areas issued approval to Rimrock Renewables for a waste management facility, or biodigester, at the Rimrock Feeders feedlot west of High River in December 2023.
The facility would use waste to make renewable natural gas, but nearby residents launched an appeal of the proposed project, and a mediation meeting between them and Rimrock failed to reach an agreement.
After the appeal hearing, a decision on whether the approval is upheld, is changed or is cancelled can take several months, the EAB said.
Final remarks will be submitted in February by both sides, and once the hearing is closed, the board has 30 days to submit a recommendation to Alberta’s minister of environment and protected areas.
The minister usually makes a decision within 30 days of receiving the board’s report, but it can take longer, the EAB said.
The biodigester would be built adjacent to Rimrock Feeders’ feedlot about five kilometres west of High River in Foothills County.
It was pitched as a solution to odours coming from the Rimrock Feeders feedlot, but residents have numerous concerns about the project, such as odours, emissions and groundwater contamination.
The project was made public in July 2022 and Rimrock, and partner Tidewater Renewables, hoped to have construction finished by the end of 2023.
Tidewater Renewables Sells its stake in Rimrock Renewables
Tidewater Renewables Ltd. announced the sale of its interest in the Rimrock Renewables Limited Partnership ("RNG Partnership") to Biocirc Canada Holdings Inc. on Jan. 10 for $7.8 million.
Tidewater said $4.7 million has been paid, and the remaining $3.1 million “could be received upon the satisfaction of certain post-closing conditions on or before Dec. 30, 2025.”