Welcome to this week's edition of IPPSA Intelligence! |
AESO files Oyen 2 Solar NID, shifts Optimal Transmission Planning rule posting to August 2026 Market & Regulation AESO filed a Needs Identification Document for the Oyen 2 Solar Project Connection with the AUC on July 28 and issued ANAP approval for the Red Willow Solar and Energy Storage Project Connection. The Cluster 3 application deadline is August 6; generators pursuing BYOG — expected to open in late August — do not need to file a SASR by that date, but those wanting to preserve the Cluster 3 option must meet the August 6 deadline. The Optimal Transmission Planning consultation timeline has been pushed back, with the Letter of Notice and proposed OTP ISO Rule now targeted for August 2026. The next REM IT Systems Working Group session is August 18. |
Kalina Power locks up five Alberta data centre power projects, books C$18M from Meta load sale Electricity, Generation & Infrastructure Australian-listed Kalina Power (ASX:KPO) has secured five Alberta data centre power projects and is in active gas supply negotiations, positioning itself as a dedicated power supplier to AI hyperscalers under a bring-your-own-generation model. The company generated C$18 million by facilitating Meta's C$13 billion Alberta AI data centre project through the sale of a 180 MW load allocation. Kalina holds roughly 200 MW of sites near carbon capture and storage infrastructure and is participating in AESO's new large-load intake process. With A$14.3 million cash and no debt, it is a small but early-positioned player in what is becoming a crowded Alberta data centre power race. |
Capital Power signs 250 MW long-term supply deal with Meta for Alberta data centre, posts Q2 AFFO of $328M Economic & Finance Capital Power has signed a long-term 250 MW energy supply agreement with Meta Platforms for an Alberta data centre, with service expected in the second half of 2028. The deal is the most concrete large-load commitment from an established Alberta generator to date and signals that hyperscaler demand is translating into durable, contracted revenue. Q2 2026 operating cash flows came in at $214 million, AFFO at $328 million, and adjusted EBITDA at $351 million, despite a net loss of $43 million. The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.6910 per share, a 2% increase and the 13th consecutive year of dividend growth. |
Canadian Utilities Q2 earnings rise to C$128M; AUC approves C$2.9B gas infrastructure project Economic & Finance Canadian Utilities reported Q2 earnings of C$128 million (C$0.40 per share), up from C$111 million a year earlier, with adjusted EPS of C$0.51 beating consensus of C$0.48. Revenue grew 8.6% to C$914 million, driven by inflation indexing on rate base, higher Australian customer rates, ATCO Energy Systems rate base growth, and recognition of final 2026 electricity transmission rates. On the infrastructure side, Canadian Utilities and AltaLink completed a central-east Alberta transmission line in June, and the AUC this month approved a C$2.9 billion natural gas infrastructure package including a pipeline to Fort Saskatchewan and a compressor station — significant additions to Alberta's gas distribution backbone. |
Paramount Resources applies for 17 MW thermal plant at Sinclair Gas Plant west of Beaverlodge Generation & Infrastructure Paramount Resources Ltd. has filed an AUC application (Proceeding 30891) for a 17 MW thermal power plant at its Sinclair Gas Plant site, approximately 35 kilometres west of Beaverlodge in the County of Grande Prairie No. 1. The plant would be built within the existing land disturbance footprint and connected directly to the gas plant, a typical behind-the-fence industrial generation arrangement. Interested parties have until August 19, 2026 to file a Statement of Intent to Participate. For Alberta's market, this is a routine but illustrative example of industrial self-generation continuing to grow at oil and gas facilities. |
Rocky View County pushes for proactive transmission planning, targets RMA Fall Convention Electricity Rocky View County Council voted unanimously on July 21 to direct Administration to work with the Rural Municipalities of Alberta District 2 Resolutions Committee on a formal resolution addressing electricity grid delays in high-growth areas. The resolution is aimed at the RMA District 2 General Meeting on October 2, with a target of submission to the RMA Fall Convention on November 2–5. The county's core argument is that Alberta's current reactive approach to transmission planning is a constraint on industrial and commercial investment, and it points to Ontario's model — where the system operator, transmitters, and distributors plan proactively — as the alternative. If the resolution gains traction, it could add municipal-level pressure to AESO's ongoing optimal transmission planning work. |
Entropy's $200M Glacier CCUS project begins operation; company pushes Ottawa for carbon credit market access Companies & Projects Entropy's Glacier carbon capture project in Saddle Hills County, Alberta, is now operating, capturing more than 400 tonnes of CO2 per day from a natural gas processing plant and an attached gas-fired turbine that can also supply the provincial grid. The $200 million project is backed by Advantage Energy, Brookfield Asset Management, and the Canada Growth Fund, which provided $200 million in convertible debt and committed to purchase up to 185,000 tonnes per year of credits at $86.50 per tonne for 15 years. Entropy is pressing Ottawa to allow carbon credits to trade in the transport-fuel market at higher prices, arguing that current Clean Fuel Regulations exclude natural gas and that recent TIER changes are eroding project economics. The company has plans for up to five similar facilities representing roughly $1 billion in investment. |
Capital Power posts $44M Q2 net loss but AFFO jumps to $328M as revenues nearly double year-over-year Economic & Finance Capital Power reported a Q2 net loss of $44 million (33 cents per share), a sharp improvement from the $132 million loss in Q2 2025. Adjusted funds from operations rose to $328 million ($2.09 per share) from $235 million ($1.55 per share) a year earlier, partly due to Clean Technology Investment Tax Credit recognition on eligible Canadian renewables. Revenues and other income reached $740 million, up from $441 million in Q2 2025. The quarterly dividend increased to 70.48 cents per share from 69.10 cents. The headline loss reflects accounting items, while the AFFO and revenue growth point to underlying operational strength — reinforced by the separately announced 250 MW Meta supply agreement. |
Manitoba Hydro CEO defends new gas turbine plan at first day of public hearings Generation & Infrastructure Manitoba Hydro CEO Allan Danroth opened public hearings defending the utility's plan to build new natural gas turbines to head off forecast power shortages. The hearings mark the formal public review stage of a capacity expansion plan that has been controversial given the province's historically hydro-dominant generation mix. For Alberta, the situation is a useful reference point: a neighbouring province with strong renewable resources is turning to gas for reliability, reinforcing the broader prairie-region case that gas generation remains a practical necessity for grid stability. |
Brookfield subsidiary seeks 30-year licence to export up to 700,000 MWh of BC hydro annually to the U.S. Electricity Powell River Energy Inc., a Brookfield Renewable subsidiary, has applied for a licence to export up to 700,000 MWh per year of electricity from two British Columbia hydroelectric dams to its U.S. affiliate BR Pacific Hydro Power, with the term running to 2055. The application has drawn more than 2,500 public submissions, with critics arguing domestic needs should take priority over long-term export commitments. While this is a BC regulatory matter, it speaks to a broader western Canadian tension between monetizing clean power exports and maintaining domestic supply adequacy — a dynamic Alberta generators and policymakers should track as interprovincial and cross-border electricity flows evolve. |
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