The Alberta government wants electricity providers to commit to selling power at a fixed price 24 hours in advance in what’s called a “day-ahead market.”Expansion of Alberta's power transmission network more than a decade ago unintentionally added capacity in all the wrong places, power consultant Duane Reid-Carlson says.
Observers say the proposed power regulation changes could be more advantageous to some sources of power than others. In these file photos, at left, a wind turbine overshadows a grain elevator near Pincher Creek, Alta., at right, an oilsands extraction facility is reflected in a tailings pond near Fort McMurray.
With the hasty phase out of coal power to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the rapid growth of wind and solar power in the province and soaring consumer power bills, players say the market design is outdated.asking it to prepare restructured energy market rules by the end of 2025.
Right now, the AESO covers the cost of constructing transmission lines to where power is produced, and those costs are passed on to consumers. According to AESO data, there have been 78 grid alerts between 2006 and October 2024. In April 2024, a critical shortage of power prompted AESO to ask suppliers to cut power to some customers, leading to some temporary blackouts.
Reid-Carlson says Alberta imports more power than any other province, and it could be more economical to overproduce power and sell it to neighbouring jurisdictions.However, proponents of renewable energy projects have misgivings about the new direction.