Eight months after the Alberta government lifted its moratorium on the development of new, large wind and solar electricity projects, investment has yet to return as companies choose instead to invest in other provinces.Wind and solar power account for about 30 per cent of electricity production capacity in Alberta. But development of new projects remains stalled, months after the end of a provincial moratorium.
"When businesses are faced with those types of uncertainties, they pull back a little bit and they look for other places to invest." of new electricity in its history, which includes a pledge to use Crown land for renewable energy and building nearly 3,000 megawatts of new battery storage projects.Companies that were developing projects in Alberta are investing in elsewhere, says Jeremy Thompson, president of Eagle Spirit Business Development.
But on Aug. 3, 2023, the province said no new renewable generation applications would be approved while it considered their effects on agriculture, the environment, municipalities and "pristine viewscapes." That pause ended in February and a new series of draft guidelines outlining where and how solar and wind projects could proceed was unveiled.The Alberta government points to project approvals to gauge the health of the sector.