Welcome to this week's edition of IPPSA Intelligence! Thank you to all the members that attended our second annual Stampede Affair. |
Alberta Electric System Operator |
AESO releases July–September stakeholder calendar; Red Willow Solar/Storage moves toward Abbreviated Needs Approval Market & Regulation The AESO published its stakeholder engagement schedule for July through September 2026, covering a busy slate of market design and grid files. Feedback deadlines fall in July for Large Load Integration Phase 2A BYOG, Financial Transmission Rights, Market Power Mitigation for Energy Storage and Hydro Resources, the Cost of New Entry Study, and amendments to Information Document #2012-006R. Working group sessions include REM IT Systems on July 21, an inflexible block definition session on July 23, and a July 28 session on ID #2012-006R. The 2026 Long Term Outlook input is due August 7. On the grid side, the Red Willow Solar and Energy Storage Project is proceeding through the Abbreviated Needs Approval process, while Castor North Solar Battery, Fox Meadows Wind, and Big Rock Solar Battery have been cancelled. |
Ottawa puts $26M into prairie clean energy; University of Calgary gets $4.2M for western transmission initiative Policy & Transition Federal Natural Resources Minister Tim Hodgson announced $26 million for 17 clean energy projects across Alberta and Saskatchewan on July 4, drawing primarily from the Smart Renewables and Electrification Pathways Program. The University of Calgary receives $4.2 million of that total for the Western Transmission Catalyst program, which aims to expand interprovincial electricity connections across Western Canada. An additional $649,000 from Indigenous Services Canada goes to Indigenous-led solar projects. The transmission focus is notable for Alberta — cross-provincial grid connectivity has long been constrained, and any credible effort to address that affects how the province's generators value future export opportunities. |
Pincher Creek wind farms aging out; repowering stalled by AUC regulatory ambiguity Renewables Pincher Creek District hosts roughly 500 turbines across at least nine wind farms, but the fleet is aging: Castle River reaches end-of-life in 2031, and Cowley Ridge was decommissioned in 2016. A 2024 provincial policy banning wind development within 35 km of the Rocky Mountains and protected areas has created what the article calls an exclusion bubble covering much of the district. The Alberta Utilities Commission has not clarified whether repowering existing sites falls under those restrictions, leaving operators in a regulatory no-man's-land. Without that clarity, one of Alberta's original wind districts faces capacity attrition with no straightforward path to replacement. |
Vulcan County approves rezoning for 1,000 MW AI data centre campus near Travers Reservoir Generation & Infrastructure Vulcan County council rezoned approximately 350 hectares from rural general to rural industrial to accommodate a phased AI data centre campus proposed by local farmer Eric Steeves. At full build-out, the facility could draw up to 1,000 MW for IT computation. Steeves is in early coordination with the AESO on grid connection and plans to file with the AUC this fall, with a county development permit targeted for next spring. A project of this scale, if it advances, would represent a substantial new load addition in southern Alberta and puts further pressure on transmission and generation adequacy planning. |
Avax One signs $2.3M LOI for Bantry Alberta data site in behind-the-meter flared-gas pivot Companies & Projects Avax One signed a non-binding letter of intent to acquire the Bantry Data site in Alberta for $2.3 million, targeting an August 1, 2026 close. The company, already operating flared-gas-powered cryptomining sites in Alberta and Ohio, is repositioning toward AI and HPC infrastructure. Its parallel 10 MW behind-the-meter project at the 4-31 Battery site near Calgary, developed with BlueFlare Energy Solutions, is due live in Q1 2027. These behind-the-meter, flared-gas arrangements sit outside the main grid but reflect the broader pattern of high-intensity compute loads seeking low-cost, off-grid power in Alberta's resource-rich regions. |
Indigenous partnership proposes 650 MW natural gas plant northeast of Peace River to power AI data centre Electricity, Generation & Infrastructure Cree Ative Datacenter Corp GP, general partner for Mihta Askiy LP — 51% owned by Woodland Cree First Nation and 49% by Sovereign Digital Infrastructure — is proposing a 650 MW natural gas generation facility roughly 40 km northeast of Peace River to supply a dedicated data centre. The proposal surfaces amid broader scrutiny of Alberta's AI data centre build-out, with conservation and Indigenous groups raising questions about long-term power demand, water use, and environmental impacts. A project of this size would be among the larger new thermal additions proposed in Alberta in recent years and will face close attention from the AESO and AUC. |
University of Calgary's Western Transmission Catalysts initiative launches with $4.2M to break down interprovincial grid barriers Electricity The University of Calgary's Western Transmission Catalysts initiative, led by Dr. Blake Shaffer alongside the Indigenous Power Coalition and partners including The Transition Accelerator and Dunsky Energy and Climate Advisors, received $4.2 million announced July 4. The multi-year program targets regulatory, financing, and coordination barriers that impede electricity transmission across BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba. Independent modelling and Indigenous leadership are central to the design. For Alberta generators, expanded interprovincial transmission could open export markets and improve system adequacy, though the timeline for any tangible grid impact remains long. |
General Fusion set to go public via SPAC merger under ticker GFUZ Economic & Finance Richmond, B.C.-based fusion developer General Fusion is merging with Nasdaq-listed SPAC Spring Valley Acquisition Corp. III, with closing expected Friday following shareholder approval Monday. The combined entity trades as General Fusion Group Ltd. under GFUZ. SVAIII had raised US$230 million; investors who did not redeem at the US$10 per unit deadline of July 1 will see their capital flow to the combined company, with redemption figures to be disclosed at close. While fusion power remains commercially distant, the public listing gives General Fusion access to capital markets and raises its profile in the North American clean energy investment conversation. |
Nova Scotia approves EverWind's 1.26 GW Ocean Lake wind farm to feed green hydrogen facility Renewables The Nova Scotia government approved EverWind's Ocean Lake wind farm at 1.26 GW, part of the broader 2.5 GW Guysborough complex, with power transmitted via overhead line to a green fuels facility at Point Tupper about 60 km away. The project involves roughly 158 large onshore turbines, targets a 2028 online date, and is co-developed with Membertou Development. Projected economic benefits include 400–500 construction jobs, 40–50 permanent roles, and approximately $450 million in municipal tax revenue over its life. At full output, it could cut Nova Scotia's GHG emissions by close to 2 million tonnes annually — a benchmark that will draw comparisons as other provinces assess large-scale wind-to-hydrogen pathways. |
Cuba's national grid collapses midday, leaving 10 million without power Electricity Cuba's national electric grid collapsed at midday on Monday, cutting power to approximately 10 million people — close to the entire population. The UNE grid operator said the cause was under investigation. Cuba has experienced repeated prolonged outages in recent years, driven by deteriorating infrastructure and fuel supply constraints tied to U.S. sanctions. The event is a stark illustration of what total grid failure looks like at national scale, and a useful reference point in any discussion of reliability standards and the cost of underinvestment in generation and transmission assets. |
Constellation Energy supplying nuclear power to Microsoft, Meta, and CyrusOne data centres under long-term PPAs Nuclear Constellation Energy has positioned itself as a primary power supplier for large-scale AI data centre operators through a series of long-term nuclear PPAs. In 2024 it announced a 20-year agreement with Microsoft tied to the restarted Three Mile Island plant. In June 2025 it signed a 20-year PPA with Meta for power from the Clinton Clean Energy Center in Illinois, expected back online in 2027. Its Calpine subsidiary also signed a 380 MW agreement with CyrusOne near the Freestone Energy Center in Texas, alongside a previously announced 400 MW deal in Bosque County. The pattern reinforces that large data centre operators are actively contracting firm, always-on generation — a dynamic directly relevant to Alberta's own data centre load growth discussions. |
IPPSA's Mandate IPPSA's mission is to convene industry, providing information, resources, and a forum for knowledge sharing, and to create opportunities for dialogue, collaboration, and education. This newsletter is meant to inform members but not advocate for specific outcomes. We always appreciate your feedback at info@ippsa.com. |
|
