Alberta’s renewable energy pause has left legacy of cancelled development: study

Alberta’s seven-month moratorium connected renewable powerfulness approvals has near a bequest of dozens of cancelled projects and ineligible uncertainty, says an study done connected nan one-year day of nan move.

The cleanable power deliberation vessel nan Pembina Institute says successful a study released Friday that 53 upwind and star projects were abandoned aft nan United Conservative Party authorities paused approvals for 7 months past grounded to explain caller rules for those developments.

The capacity of nan cancelled projects adds up to much than 8,600 megawatts of procreation — much than capable to powerfulness each location successful Alberta, nan study says. Many of those projects would person travel pinch important retention capacity.

Another 42 projects person delayed their in-service day by an mean of 15 months.

The state — erstwhile Canada’s hotbed of renewable activity — has seen 3 caller projects travel earlier its strategy usability since nan moratorium was announced Aug. 2, 2023.

“No 1 that wasn’t already successful Alberta is looking astatine Alberta,” said Will Noel, 1 of nan report’s authors.

Alberta’s curate of affordability and utilities called nan study “misinformation.”

“(The institute’s) latest study yet again puts ideology earlier communal consciousness and intentionally misconstrues nan facts,” Nathan Neudorf said successful a statement.

On Aug. 3, 2023, nan state announced nary caller renewable procreation applications would beryllium approved while it considered their effects connected agriculture, nan environment, municipalities and “pristine viewscapes.” That region came disconnected successful February and a caller bid of draught guidelines connected wherever and really star and upwind projects could proceed was instituted.

Based connected accusation from nan Alberta Utilities Commission and nan Alberta Electric System Operator, nan study says earlier nan moratorium was imposed, location were 118 projects that had notified nan strategy usability of their volition to proceed.

“Looking astatine nan energy strategy operator’s task queue is simply a bully reflection of nan renewable improvement liking successful Alberta,” said co-author Jason Wang successful an email. “The first measurement successful immoderate type of energy task improvement is to taxable task plans and engineering specifications to nan (system operator) earlier projects activity regulatory approval.”

Of those projects, 33 person been cancelled.

The study besides says galore projects tried to move guardant contempt nan region by “clustering” their proposals earlier nan strategy usability successful hopes of being grandfathered. Twenty of those person since been cancelled.

Neudorf said basing nan study connected notices to nan strategy usability distorts its findings. He said earlier nan moratorium, 13 projects had applied to nan utilities commission.

“The Pembina Institute is ignoring nan reality that not each projected power task leads to shovels successful nan ground,” he said.

“What we person successful truth is simply a increasing queue for power projects, not a shrinking one. Alberta continues to beryllium a leader successful renewable power and jurisdiction of prime for investors.”

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Projects listed by nan strategy usability are often abandoned earlier they use for regulatory approval. But nan study recovered cancellations besides accrued aft nan moratorium.

In nan 2 afloat years earlier nan moratorium, an mean of 13 per cent of nan renewables generating capacity earlier nan strategy usability was squelched. In nan six months earlier nan moratorium, cancellations reached 23 per cent.

That fig skyrocketed aft nan region was imposed. Between August 2023 and July 2024, 43 per cent of nan generating capacity earlier nan strategy usability was cancelled.

The study besides says nary of nan guidelines for renewables improvement person been finalized.

“There’s a draught map,” said Noel. “It still says draft. There’s nary charismatic draft.”

Final drafts person been promised by nan extremity of nan year.

Project proponents person blamed nan caller rules for astatine slightest immoderate of nan cancellations. TransAlta CEO John Kousinioris said successful May that his institution walked distant from 300 megawatts of renewable procreation because of nan restrictions.

Meanwhile, different jurisdictions are moving forward.

Ontario has announced plans for 5,000 megawatts of upwind and star complete nan adjacent decade. Nova Scotia has committed to getting 80 per cent of its power from renewable sources by 2030. Hydro-Québec says it will adhd 10,000 megawatts of caller upwind capacity to its web by 2035.

In April, BC Hydro called for bids to adhd astir 3 cardinal megawatt-hours by 2028. That’s expected to dress up to $3.6 cardinal successful finance and create up to 1,500 jobs a year.