IPPSA Intelligence

Alberta Electric System Operator

The AESO announced cancellations for three planned transmission connections: the Black Bear Combined Cycle Power Plant, Legal Solar Battery and Lamoureux Ruby Solar Battery projects. AESO will withdraw Needs Identification Document approvals for these, reducing near-term pipeline additions.

Concurrently, the AESO advanced consultations on tariff redesign and reliability standards: an Internal Demand Rates workshop (Apr. 7–9) will use stakeholder-submitted scorecards and live polling, while a Reliability Standards Sync Up Workshop (Apr. 21–22) will review proposed High Complexity Sync Up standards and scheduling milestones. Administrative amendments to ISO rule section 501.3 proceeded with no stakeholder objections.

The preliminary Deferral Account Reconciliation estimate for 2025 shows a shortfall of $8–13 million covering production years 2021–2025, potentially affecting tariff riders; distribution facility owners have been notified and validation is pending.

Multiple deadlines in April and May require stakeholder feedback on connection processes, tariff redesign, and standards proposals. These developments reshape project planning, offer engagement opportunities to influence rate design and reliability criteria, and foreshadow modest cost adjustments.

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Modular HTAP Waste‑to‑Energy Pilot in Westlock

Clean Energy Technologies (CETY) and Hoppy Power have executed a non‑binding LOI to evaluate deployment a waste‑to‑energy system in Alberta, with Westlock as the initial target. HTAP converts diverse wastes and biomass into syngas to drive modular power units processing up to ~12,000 tons/year, promising distributed generation, flexible feedstock use and ancillary outputs such as biochar.

Planned 2026 milestones include engineering validation, feedstock confirmation, permitting progress and negotiation of definitive agreements, with METIS Power named as system integration and combustor partner.

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Canada’s 2025 Electricity Snapshot from Statscan

Canada’s electricity sector in 2025 saw total generation of 625.2 million MWh (up 2.6%) and electricity available for consumption of 618.3 million MWh (up 3.6%), while a persistent drought constrained hydro, the country’s largest source. Hydroelectricity generated 343.4 million MWh, a slight rise but its share fell to a record-low of 54.9%.

Generation from combustibles climbed to 143.4 million MWh (up 6.6%), reaching its largest share (22.9%) as provinces—notably Ontario, where combustible output rose about 23.7%—filled gaps from reduced hydro and nuclear. Nuclear edged down to 81.6 million MWh (13.0%), with Ontario producing roughly 96% and New Brunswick recovering from outages (+86.6% to 3.3 million MWh). Wind (50.5 million MWh) and solar (6.0 million MWh) set records, together supplying 9.0% of generation.

Cross‑border flows shifted: imports rose 8.2% to 25.2 million MWh while exports fell 10.4% to 32.1 million MWh, narrowing Canada’s trade surplus; Quebec and Manitoba saw large export declines and Quebec’s imports surged. Short‑term reliance on combustibles and imports raises emissions and cost concerns, while rapid wind and solar growth highlights structural change and the need for storage, diversified capacity and demand‑side resilience. 

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Alberta Proposes 120‑Day Approval Law to Fast‑Track Major Energy, Pipeline and CCUS Projects

Alberta is moving to legislate a 120‑day approval timeline for major projects to speed permitting and sharpen regulatory coordination, aiming to double oil and gas production by 2035 and boost market access.

The initiative builds on a 2025 mandate to fast‑track priority projects, a Canada–Alberta MOU backing an Indigenous co‑owned bitumen pipeline to Asia and a very large CCUS project, and a 2026 agreement‑in‑principle to streamline environmental and impact assessments alongside the federal Major Projects Office.

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Alberta's 82.5M‑tonne lithium estimate prompts government incentives and industry push for 2027 battery production

An Alberta Geological Survey estimate of about 82.5 million tonnes of lithium carbonate equivalent in place—potentially the world’s third‑largest—reframes Alberta as a major critical‑minerals jurisdiction able to underpin more than 10 billion electric‑vehicle battery packs if developed.

Provincial policy is moving to translate geology into industry with investment attraction, regulatory streamlining, new incentives targeted for launch in 2027 and possible expanded Crown‑land access subject to consultation. Industry momentum includes roughly two million hectares leased and companies piloting brine extraction technologies (including geothermal and formation‑brine approaches), with commercial production envisioned as early as 2027.

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Northern Alberta municipalities push to equalize high electricity distribution fees as province launches review

Residents in northern and east‑central Alberta are facing dramatically higher electricity distribution charges — about $118 monthly on average versus $34 elsewhere — prompting a municipal coalition, the Fair Electricity Distribution Alliance, to press the provincial government for rate equalization.

Delivery charges, not consumption, drive bills in sparsely populated areas: a La Crete resident who spent roughly $60,000 extending service received a month with 49 kWh of use but a $331.25 bill, only a third of which reflected usage. ATCO Electric defends higher rural fees as unavoidable given geography, terrain and infrastructure needs, while pledging to pursue efficiency and fair cost allocation.

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Enbridge's 200‑MW Seven Stars wind project divides Weyburn and Griffin over environmental, economic and community impacts by CBC News

Enbridge proposes the 200‑megawatt Seven Stars wind farm near Weyburn, Saskatchewan, consisting of 46 turbines that could power about 100,000 homes and is slated for completion by late 2027. The plan has split local communities: Weyburn RM approved a development permit while Griffin RM is withholding approval pending environmental information. Town halls have been well attended and residents report social strain between landowners receiving confidential lease payments and neighbors who will not.

Enbridge says it will site turbines further from homes, maintain noise below 40 decibels, use aircraft‑activated lighting, contain lubricants on oil‑tight platforms, and avoid permanent wetlands. Saskatchewan’s government backs the project with a $100‑million loan guarantee enabling six First Nations and Métis Nation–Saskatchewan to acquire 30% equity; Enbridge anticipates about $4 million annually to local coffers for 30 years.

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Nenshi unveils Alberta NDP's 'Building Alberta's Energy Future' plan: pipelines, renewables and critical minerals by Alberta NDP

Alberta New Democrats unveiled "Building Alberta’s Energy Future," a policy mixing expanded export infrastructure and clean-energy investments to stabilize prices, create jobs and attract investment. The plan pairs fossil‑fuel growth with renewable energy hubs, storage deployment, expanded electricity interties for import/export flexibility, and development of a critical‑minerals industry to support electrification and supply chains.

Emphasis is placed on partnership and Indigenous consultation, with the document framed as an initial, evolving blueprint. Economically, the strategy aims to boost export revenue, secure long‑term investment and create jobs across extraction, transmission and processing sectors while addressing consumer affordability through supply stability.

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BC Hydro Repurposes Site C Work Camp to Fast‑Track North Coast Transmission Line

British Columbia is repurposing the Site C construction camp to support the North Coast Transmission Line (NCTL), moving roughly 85% of the modular accommodation—about 1,764 beds in 21 three‑storey dormitories—to multiple sites between Prince George and Terrace.

The transmission project will twin an existing 450‑km line in its first two phases and could extend about 350 km north of Terrace in a proposed third phase, a buildout expected to more than double regional electricity capacity.

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2026 US National Trade Estimate Report on Foreign Trade Barriers

The newly released USTR 2026 National Trade Estimate Report specifically points to Alberta’s electricity market as an example of how provincial rules can affect cross-border power trade. The report highlights concerns that AESO’s control over transmission access and system operations can limit the ability of U.S. electricity exporters to fully participate in the Alberta market.

It also references how transmission constraints and allocation practices on Alberta’s interties can impact the flow of electricity between the U.S. and Canada. From the U.S. perspective, these factors are characterized as potential barriers to open and competitive electricity trade. Overall, the report frames Alberta’s intertie governance and AESO’s role as central to ongoing trade and market access discussions between the two countries.

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