Alberta mulls new wind power lines

CALGARY, Alberta (Reuters) - Wind power developments planned in the Canadian province of Alberta will require C$1.83 billion ($1.5 billion) in new transmission lines to connect the electricity to markets, the province's system operator said on Tuesday.

The Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO) is recommending construction of a 240 kilovolt loop system to connect 2,700 megawatts of electricity to be generated by wind farm projects planned for the province's south over the next decade.

AESO said it expects the system to be built in three phases with the first stage expected to cost C$750 million and handle 1,200 megawatts of wind power. The next two phases are estimated to cost C$800 million and C$280 million respectively and will be built when needed.

The system operator said it expects to file for provincial regulatory approval of the transmission plan by the end of the year.

If regulators approve the proposal, the AESO can ask AltaLink, the private company that operates the bulk of Alberta's electricity transmission, to build the new lines, though further regulatory approvals would be needed before construction could begin.

Alberta currently has 497 megawatts of wind-generated electricity on its transmission system, the system operator said.

($1=$1.22 Canadian)

(Reporting by Scott Haggett; editing by Peter Galloway)