Prior to 1973 there were a few member owned natural gas co-ops operating in Alberta, however, there were no franchise areas to protect them from the large utility companies and transmission line companies from skimming off customers living in close proximity to their pipelines.
In early 1973, the newly elected Progressive Conservative government set up a task force to survey the interest in having natural gas distributed to all rural Albertans and to try and determine the economics of such a project. The Government estimated every rural customer could be served natural gas at an average cost of $3000.00, the customer paying $1700.00 with a government grant of up to $1300.00. The Government would organize Gas Alberta, a crown corporation, to buy gas from suppliers and resell it to the co-ops at a price that would enable the co-ops to bill their consumers at a reasonable rate in comparison to other fuels. Franchise areas would be granted each co-op, so that anyone within that franchise area would have to become a member and purchase natural gas from the co-op.
In April 1974 an informational meeting was called to evaluate the interest in having a natural gas co-op formed in the area. Of the thirty people who were in attendance, twenty-five voted in favour of forming a natural gas co-operative, five were opposed. The name Evergreen Gas Co-op Ltd. was chosen as the name of the co-op.
The Evergreen Gas Co-op Ltd. was incorporated May 14, 1974. Since the conception of Evergreen Gas Co-op Ltd., trying to bring natural gas to the area was done by a few hard working, concerned individuals. By late November 1976, the plows of Caribou Construction began to break ground for the first transmission line from West Parkland Gas Co-op Ltd. to Evergreen Gas Co-op Ltd. in the Tomahawk area. Approximately fifteen miles of pipe was installed before winter weather ended construction for 1976, however, in the spring of 1977 construction once again began in earnest with Algas Engineering Ltd. as engineers and Southern Interpro as the contractor, installing distribution and service lines in Taps B; Tomahawk area and A; Moon Lake area. Caribou Construction took the contract for Taps C, D, E, and F which was completed in 1978, providing natural gas service to 420 customers.
Construction in Taps C, D, E, and F was very difficult and dangerous due to the spider web of foreign pipelines. Evergreen Gas Co-op Ltd. was required to have a pipeline paper search done before construction. Algas Engineering Ltd. carried out this project to the government’s satisfaction. Caribou Construction requested Algas Engineering to obtain expensive metal detectors and line location equipment for locating the hundreds of pipelines that had to be crossed.
Infill programs have been carried on each year since initial construction, providing natural gas service to 1252 customers by 31 December, 1997. Jim Soroka was contracted to do the infill construction from 1979 to 1994. Grizzly Trenching Inc. has been contracted from 1994 to present.
We are proud of our natural gas co-op. Evergreen Gas Co-op Ltd. would not exist without the hard work and dedication of many people. We thank them all.