Companies developing renewable energy projects in Alberta are pleading for clarity from the province, as Premier Danielle Smith insists that only by putting the sector on ice can the province review policies around end-of-life reclamation and land use when it comes to wind and solar farms.on application approvals for new wind and solar projects on Aug. 3.
“I have to assess whether we slow down or stop or maintain the same course, based on what we can learn in the next weeks and months about what is about to happen here,” he said. Energy and climate critic Nagwan Al-Guneid, who had tried to broker the round-table talks before they fell through, said the moratorium was made without consultation with the industry or due process to limit the impact of investment and jobs. The “overwhelming and passionate public response to this issue makes it clear that closed-door meetings with stakeholders are now insufficient,” Ms. Al-Guneid wrote in a letter to the minister.
“There’s a concern for me, in terms of, what happens after that moratorium? There’s a pretty strong signal that we will come out of this with terms that impact renewables negatively,” Mr. Arnold said. “We have to make investment decisions on projects that have, long, long development cycles, long permitting timelines and long operational lives. So we have to allocate capital knowing that there’s some uncertainty here, and some decisions to be made for the political reasons.