IPPSA Intelligence

AESO Updates

Stakeholders in Alberta’s electricity sector are focusing on several upcoming engagement sessions in September that will shape market design, tariff structures and grid reliability. The AESO plans virtual forums on locational marginal pricing, financial transmission rights and transmission reinforcement payments to refine congestion management and price‐signal mechanisms.

Simultaneously, the 2025 Reliability Requirements Roadmap outlines procurement strategies, technical standards and infrastructure investments aimed at securing system stability amidst growing renewable and flexible load integration. Draft interconnection standards for transmission‐connected data centres underscore the grid operator’s effort to accommodate large, agile loads while maintaining network performance.

Tariff redesign initiatives include amendments to generating‐unit owner contributions, ancillary service cost allocation and a new Demand Opportunity Service to allow customers extra draw at reduced rates, highlighting shifts in cost recovery and consumer flexibility.

On the renewable front, the Needs Identification Document for the Fox Meadows Wind Project advances connection of additional clean capacity, reflecting sustained investment in wind energy. Updated market statistics through July 31 provide context for these policy and design changes.

References:

1. AESO Updates

Pembina Institute Report on Renewables Development

A report by the Pembina Institute outlines that Alberta’s renewable energy surge has hit a pause as roughly 11 000 MW of wind, solar and storage projects—about 44% of proposals—have been cancelled since October 2023. Wind proposals declined 64%, solar 49% and storage 28%, while natural gas project proposals rose 32%. This shift follows a seven-month moratorium on new approvals and tighter siting rules protecting agricultural land and scenic areas, plus security and reclamation requirements to limit taxpayer-funded cleanups.

Meanwhile, the Alberta Electric System Operator’s new “cluster” process for accepting projects has injected uncertainty by staging proposals in batches, creating sudden queue changes and spurring reassessments tied to evolving tariffs and market fundamentals. Clean-energy advocates warn these layers of regulation and market restructuring are undermining investor confidence, risking capital flight to other provinces or abroad. Proponents in government argue the measures ensure grid reliability and responsible growth.

References:

1. https://calgaryherald.com/business/alberta-renewable-project-cancellations-concerningly-high-report-says

Investor Group Asks Alberta Securities Commission For Probe Over Alleged Net‑Zero Greenwashing

Investors for Paris Compliance filed a greenwashing complaint with Alberta’s securities regulator alleging Cenovus and Enbridge misled investors with inconsistent net‑zero claims that omit end‑use (Scope 3) emissions. The group argues securities law — not only competition rules — should police climate disclosures, seeking an ASC investigation, peer evidence review, and coordinated provincial guidance.

It highlights Cenovus’s removal of net‑zero language after new Competition Bureau rules and executive lobbying urging removal of emissions caps and an industrial carbon levy, actions the complainants say contradict public climate commitments. Enbridge defends its 2050 net‑zero goal and reported a 22% operational emissions reduction since 2018; Cenovus did not comment.

References:

1. https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/article-group-files-greenwashing-complaint-with-albertas-securities-watchdog/

Alberta Court of Appeal Limits New Evidence and Interveners in Bill C‑69

The Alberta Court of Appeal limited expanded evidence and interventions in a constitutional reference challenging the federal Impact Assessment Act (Bill C‑69). It refused Cold Lake First Nations’ bid to add two lengthy affidavits and a chiefs’ letter concerning the Pathways Alliance CO2 pipeline, finding the material out of scope and containing inadmissible hearsay. The court likewise rejected the Macdonald–Laurier Institute’s intervener application as too broad and duplicative, but granted Enserva, an energy‑services association, leave to intervene to provide industry perspectives.

The case proceeds against a background of a 2023 non‑binding Supreme Court opinion suggesting federal overreach in regulating resource projects; the Court of Appeal will consider whether Parliament validly enacted the amended Act and whether it impairs provincial powers.

References:

1. https://www.theglobeandmail.com/business/article-alberta-appeal-court-impact-assessment-act-bill-c69-challenge/

How Alberta’s Energy, Climate and Grid Expansion Make It a Prime Data‑Centre Hub

Global demand for data‑centre capacity is surging, driven by AI and cloud services, pushing electricity use higher and reshaping site selection priorities. IEA data cited show roughly 12% annual growth since 2017 and 1.5% of global power consumption in 2024, with projections implying much larger increases by 2035. Favorable regulatory settings, low corporate tax, available urban land in Calgary and Edmonton, and active investments from cloud giants and regional operators signal an emerging cluster. Innovations are less about radical new tech than optimized cooling, emissions offsetting and grid integration to manage AI-driven loads.

References:

1. https://www.investmentmonitor.ai/sponsored/the-optimum-conditions-for-data-centres-revealed-in-new-report/

General Fusion Raises $22M as LM26 Demonstrator Produces Plasmas; Eyes Mid‑2030s Grid Goal

General Fusion secured an oversubscribed $22 million financing and board additions, a vote of investor confidence that follows a painful cash squeeze and layoffs earlier in 2025. Its LM26 demonstration machine in Richmond, B.C. — roughly half the size of the planned commercial design — is producing plasmas, and the company retains a mid‑2030s target to deliver fusion power to the grid. To date General Fusion has mobilized about $366 million including grants and prior investments, but management previously flagged a need for much larger capital and cut roughly a quarter of its workforce from about 140 staff. The sector’s history of missed targets and the concentrated capital requirements make timelines uncertain.

References:

1. https://www.geekwire.com/2025/after-public-ask-for-funding-b-c-s-general-fusion-lands-22m-from-investors/

Maritime Electric’s Plan for New Fossil-Fuel Generators on PEI

Maritime Electric has told the Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission it seeks to add fossil‑fuel generators to Prince Edward Island’s fleet, revising an original roughly $427 million plan upward as project costs have risen. The utility filed an amended application after eight months, warning that procurement, construction and commissioning will require at least three years before new capacity can operate.

The multi‑year lead time and escalating costs complicate near‑term supply planning, increasing pressure to identify interim measures such as imports, demand management or temporary generation to avoid reliability gaps.

References:

1. https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/video/9.6874302

Alberta to Build Solar Arrays at Five Provincial Prisons

Alberta plans to install ground‑mounted solar arrays at five of its 10 provincial correctional facilities (two near Edmonton, three near Calgary) to offset roughly 80% of each site's electricity use. Early estimates peg annual savings at about $1 million, though officials say figures will be refined during design; a procurement document gives a preliminary capital range of $10 million–$50 million with bids expected late 2025 or early 2026. Edmonton facilities consume about 11,500 MWh annually while Calgary sites use roughly 6,300 MWh (for context the average Alberta home uses about 7 MWh).

If built, these arrays would be among the largest government-owned solar projects in the province and possibly unique in Canada, following U.S. precedents where prisons and jails adopted solar to cut costs.

References:

1. https://uk.news.yahoo.com/alberta-government-looks-solar-lower-140158266.html

Bruce Power and Candu Energy Renew 10‑Year MSA Through 2035

Bruce Power’s renewed 10‑year Master Services Agreement with Candu Energy, extended through 2035, formalizes long-term support for Major Component Replacement and an eight‑reactor life‑extension program that could channel up to $1 billion into Canada over the next decade. Framed as one of the country’s largest private nuclear investments, the deal anchors supply‑chain certainty, strengthens domestic industrial capacity and aims to sustain thousands of high‑skilled jobs across Ontario.

References:

1. https://www.brucepower.com/2025/08/18/bruce-power-and-candu-energy-sign-10-year-agreement-supporting-canadian-jobs-and-economic-growth/

Hydro One names Harry Taylor interim CEO during David Lebeter's compassionate leave

Hydro One is implementing a temporary leadership transition as CEO David Lebeter begins compassionate care leave on August 25, 2025, remaining available in an advisory capacity. The board appointed Harry Taylor, the company’s EVP, Chief Financial and Regulatory Officer, as Interim President and CEO; Taylor will retain his extensive finance, regulatory and shared-services portfolio while overseeing executive duties. The board also added Michael W. Rencheck.

1. https://www.renewcanada.net/hydro-one-appoints-harry-taylor-as-interim-president-and-ceo/

Natural Resources Canada commits over $13M to Ontario smart‑grid projects

Federal funding of more than $13 million will support five Ontario demonstration projects to modernize electricity systems, enabling greater integration of distributed energy resources (DERs) such as rooftop solar and batteries. The initiative under Natural Resources Canada’s Energy Innovation Program — Smart Grids Demonstration seeks to test market arrangements and technologies that let customer‑owned devices participate in electricity markets, turning consumers into “prosumers” and adding flexibility to the grid. 

References:

1. https://www.miragenews.com/canada-invests-to-modernize-ontarios-power-grid-1515930/

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