The Municipality of Jasper may soon establish four new electric vehicle (EV) charging stations in addition to its 11 current ones.
In addition, administration recommended that council approve participation in the EVenture charging network.
“EVenture Northwest Alberta is a community-driven, collaborative program among municipalities that are seeking to build load Level-3 fast-charger network across west/central Alberta,” said CAO Bill Given during Tuesday’s committee of the whole meeting.
The project has been facilitated by the Community Energy Association, and the EVenture Advisory Committee of Municipalities has been working together since 2020 to outline the process for identifying appropriate locations for the charging stations and seeking federal funding.
After reaching out in June 2022 and the resulting discussions, the Municipality of Jasper was included in EVenture’s RFP as a potential site.
Jasper currently has 11 EV charging stations, including eight Tesla Level-3 chargers and three Level-2 charging stations, all situated on the east end of town.
The four new Level-3 stations would be in the off-street parking lot adjacent to the public washrooms on Connaught Drive through a licence of occupation for a term of up to 14 years.
“The proposal that has come forward is that while the project has not received federal funding, the group has selected a development partner in ATCO Electric through public procurement process,” Given told council.
“And ATCO would like to keep the momentum going to the project by proceeding with two of the 12 potential sites, one that's proposed here for council's consideration in Jasper and one additional in Edmonton.”
ATCO would be responsible for the installation costs and the ongoing operational costs for the term, and the municipality will not have to forgo any paid parking revenue from these locations.
“Obviously, distribution of electric vehicle charging stations across different geographic locations ensures equitable access,” Given said.
“It is important for a community like Jasper, which is seeking to be as desirable destination for as many types of travelers as possible, so having a lot of capacity for electric vehicle charging will ensure our ongoing desirability for different types of travelers who may be using electric vehicles.”
He added that efforts to reduce carbon dioxide can help lessen the impact of climate change on vulnerable populations.
Council will consider approving the new EV charging stations and participating in the EVenture charging network at next week’s meeting.
