Welcome to this week's edition of IPPSA Intelligence! |
Alberta Electric System Operator |
AESO Releases Transmission GIS Data and Publishes July–September Stakeholder Calendar Market & Regulation The AESO published its stakeholder engagement schedule for July through September 2026, covering Fast Frequency Response Plus, Inflexible Block definitions, Supplemental High Complexity Sync Up Standards, and amendments to ID #2012-006R. Near-term deadlines run from July 22 through August 20, with September 4 feedback due on AIES Protection Findings. The AESO also released GRID transmission lines and substations GIS data — available as KML and shapefiles — which will be useful to developers and planners working on interconnection and siting decisions across the province. |
AER Appoints Rob Morgan as Chief Executive Officer Market & Regulation The AER Board named Rob Morgan as its new CEO, effective February 18, 2025. Morgan is a professional engineer with roughly 40 years of industry experience, most recently as President and CEO of Strathcona Resources, with prior leadership at Murphy Oil, Crew Energy, and Harvest Operations. For power market participants, the appointment signals continuity of an industry-experienced hand at the regulator — someone familiar with large capital projects and operational complexity, which matters for how the AER handles permitting and compliance as Alberta's generation mix evolves. |
Hitachi Energy to Deliver Grid Connection for 640 MW Marguerite Lake CAES Project Storage & Emerging Hitachi Energy will provide substation infrastructure to connect the Marguerite Lake compressed air energy storage project near La Corey, Alberta to the AIES. Developed by Cache Power, Federation Group, and Ellis Don, the facility will store compressed air in solution-mined salt caverns roughly 1,100 metres underground in the Lotsberg salt formation, with a generation capacity of 640 MW and up to 48 hours of storage — totalling up to 30.72 GWh. If it reaches commercial operation, this would represent one of the largest long-duration storage assets in Canada and a meaningful addition to Alberta's dispatchable capacity. |
Leger Poll: 81% of Albertans Worried About Electricity Bills from AI Data Centre Growth Companies & Projects A Leger online survey of 1,505 Canadians conducted July 10–13, 2026 found 44% would support AI data centre development in their province versus 42% opposed. Alberta numbers are more pointed: 81% are concerned about rising household electricity bills and 79% about environmental impacts. This matters given Alberta's active pursuit of hyperscale load — Meta has announced a $13 billion data centre in Sturgeon County, with additional sites near Olds, Wheatland County, and Grande Prairie. Public concern at this level, if it translates politically, could complicate the province's large-load connection policy and create pressure on cost allocation rules. |
C.D. Howe Analysis Finds Saskatchewan's Coal-to-SMR Path Costs Up to $46B — Gas-Plus-Renewables Far Cheaper Policy & Transition A C.D. Howe memo by Brett Dolter estimates Saskatchewan's plan to extend coal plants until SMRs come online would cost approximately $30.2 billion over 20 years without carbon pricing, rising to $46.4 billion with it. Two gas-plus-renewables alternatives come in at $15.6–17.5 billion without carbon pricing, generating annual ratepayer savings of $608 million to $1.2 billion. The analysis is directly relevant to Alberta, where SMR discussions are active and the cost and timeline risks of nuclear-as-baseload are often underweighted. The Saskatchewan case illustrates what a delayed coal exit and nuclear dependency could mean for ratepayers in a neighbouring market. |
BC Hydro Sets New Summer Peak at 8,715 MW During July Heat Wave Electricity BC Hydro recorded a new all-time summer peak of 8,715 MW between 5 and 6 p.m. on July 22, 2026, surpassing the previous summer record of 8,652 MW set in August 2025. Nearly 70% of BC households now have some form of air conditioning, making cooling a dominant summer demand driver. For Alberta, the event is a reminder that summer peak demand across the western grid is rising faster than anticipated — with implications for interprovincial transmission adequacy and the value of dispatchable generation during heat events. |
Canada Battery Storage Capacity Forecast to Reach 12–18 GW by 2035, Alberta Adding 1–2 GW Annually Market & Regulation Canada's operational battery storage capacity is projected to grow from 3–4 GW in 2026 to 12–18 GW by 2035, with over 60% of current capacity in Ontario and Alberta. Alberta is expected to add 1–2 GW annually through 2028. Grid interconnection queues in both provinces already exceed 12–18 months for projects above 10 MW, which will test the AESO's connection process under sustained development pressure. Import dependence for lithium-ion cells exceeds 80%, with three Asian manufacturers controlling more than 70% of global cell production — a supply chain concentration that poses real cost and availability risk for Alberta's storage buildout. |
C.D. Howe Calls for Honest Electricity Pricing as Canada Faces Potential Doubling of Infrastructure Spending Electricity Cole Diepold's C.D. Howe opinion piece argues that Canadian electricity pricing has obscured true costs — Ontario shifted nearly $6 billion in electricity costs from ratepayer bills to the provincial tax base in 2023, while Quebec's heritage pool keeps domestic prices below export market value. With demand set to rise sharply from electrification, population growth, and large industrial loads, the piece argues infrastructure spending may need to double by 2050 and calls for gradual, transparent real-term rate increases. For Alberta's competitive market, where price signals drive investment, the broader national pattern of cost concealment is a cautionary backdrop. |
IEA Forecasts 3.6–3.8% Annual Global Electricity Demand Growth in 2026–27, Renewables to Lead Generation Electricity The IEA's Electricity Mid-Year Update projects global demand growth of 3.6% in 2026 and 3.8% in 2027, driven by industrial expansion, air conditioning, EVs, and data centres. Renewables are forecast to become the largest generation source globally in 2026. China leads at 5.5% demand growth; India at 7%; the U.S. and EU at roughly 2% each. U.S.-Israel military action against Iran is disrupting LNG supply chains, weighing on electricity consumption in price-sensitive Asian importers. The sustained global demand acceleration reinforces the investment case for new generation capacity in Alberta, particularly dispatchable and storage assets. |
Brookfield to Acquire Aypa Power — North America's Largest Battery Storage Platform — from Blackstone for $7B Storage & Emerging Brookfield Asset Management has agreed to acquire Aypa Power from Blackstone Energy Transition Partners at an enterprise value of approximately $7 billion, with equity value around $3 billion. Aypa holds roughly 6.5 GW of operating, under-construction, and contracted battery storage capacity, plus a development pipeline exceeding 20 GW across North America. The deal includes Aypa's full platform and about 200 employees. For Alberta, where battery storage investment is accelerating, the transaction signals that institutional capital at scale is moving decisively into the sector — which affects competitive dynamics and the likely profile of future storage developers entering the province. |
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