Red Willow Solar, a wholly owned subsidiary of Westbridge Renewable Energy, has received power plant and battery energy storage system (BESS) approval from the Alberta Utilities Commission (AUC) in Canada.
The commission granted the approval under Decision 29258-D01-2026 and issued a substation permit and licence for the Birch 1075S Substation.
The approvals allow Red Willow to build and operate the project in Stettler County. This project includes a solar power plant with up to 225 megawatts-alternating current (MWac) of approved capacity.
It will also consist of a BESS with capacity of up to 200 megawatt-hours, along with the substation.
Westbridge Renewable director and COO Maggie McKenna said: “We are pleased to announce AUC approval for our Red Willow project, marking another key milestone for Westbridge.
“This achievement, combined with the previously obtained approvals for Georgetown, Sunnynook and Dolcy, means that we have secured AUC approval for four out of our five projects in Alberta. This progress is a crucial step forward in advancing the Red Willow project towards the Ready-to-Build stage.”
Westbridge said the commission granted the approvals subject to provisions under the Hydro and Electric Energy Act and the Alberta Utilities Commission Act.
The company expects to submit applications to the commission for interconnection approvals within the calendar year.
Westbridge Renewable director and CEO Stefano Romanin said: “This final regulatory milestone for Red Willow advances the project close to ready-to-build status in just over three years.
“AUC approval for the Red Willow project confirms our ability to advance high-quality renewable projects from concept to construction readiness. It is another tremendous achievement by our team and partners.”
The Red Willow Solar and Battery Storage Project is the fourth of five Westbridge projects in Alberta to obtain the AUC approval.
In September 2024, Westbridge subsidiary Dolcy Solar secured approval from the AUC for the 300MWac Dolcy Solar + Energy Storage project in Canada.
