Supporting the development of a major industrial facility with air quality and noise impact assessments
The Alberta Industrial Heartland includes companies producing and processing oil, gas, and petrochemicals, as well as advanced manufacturing facilities. RWDI was retained to help develop a facility that would manufacture polypropylene through propane dehydrogenation in this heavily industrialized region. The planned production was significant, and the planned site was close to other industrial facilities in the area.
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The Challenge
While this location was highly advantageous from a business and logistics perspective, it involved some complexities regarding achieving regulatory approvals:
- Noise impact assessments needed to comply with specific guidelines from the Northeast Capital Industrial Association in addition to the requirements of the Alberta Energy Regulator
- The provincial regulator, Alberta Environment and Parks, required the delivery of cumulative impact modeling that shows air quality and noise impacts across the region Developers chose RWDI to deliver air quality and noise studies for the project because of our renowned air and noise modeling capabilities and extensive permitting experience in this region.
Our Approach
As part of this project, RWDI:
- Leveraged our depth of modeling expertise, regional experience, and ideal combination of air and noise consulting to meet regulators’ expectations this complex environment
- Developed a CALMET/CALPUFF model to predict air quality impacts for 10 criteria compounds over 900 square kilometers
The Outcome
By modeling the combined noise and air quality impacts from all facilities in the region, including the planned petrochemical plant itself, RWDI’s environmental team ensured all regulatory requirements for air quality and noise would be met.