Welcome to this week's edition of IPPSA Intelligence! |
AESO sets Aug. 7 deadline for TRP Base Rate session participation, flags multiple upcoming engagement dates Market & Regulation The AESO has posted a cluster of near-term engagement milestones. Expressions of interest for the closed, in-person TRP Base Rate stakeholder session on Aug. 20 were due Aug. 7, with selection based on relevant expertise. Other key dates include Aug. 13 feedback on the proposed amended Inflexible Block definition, an Aug. 18 REM IT Systems Working Group session, and Sept. 4 feedback deadline on AIES Protection findings. The AESO also published its 2027 Budget Development Process materials and launched a new REM Operations eLearning module covering real-time market clearing and pricing inputs. |
Maxim Power posts Q2 net loss of CA$3.1M as Alberta spot prices average CA$29.47/MWh Economic & Finance Maxim Power reported a Q2 2026 net loss of CA$3.1 million on revenue of CA$15.3 million, with Adjusted EBITDA of just CA$757,000. The average Alberta pool price of CA$29.47/MWh dragged on results, though Maxim's realized price of CA$42.93/MWh reflects some hedge or contract premium. For the first half of 2026, free cash flow was negative CA$16.9 million. Separately, Mine 14 Operations Inc. issued a notice on July 14 terminating the Milner ground lease effective September 14, 2027 — eliminating the variable throughput payment and removing an option that had carried residual asset value for the site. |
Capital Power CEO calls for community engagement as Alberta data centre boom accelerates Generation & Infrastructure Capital Power CEO Avik Dey flagged community relations as a prerequisite for Alberta's data centre build-out, responding to a Leger poll showing public concern over higher utility bills. Meta's $13-billion data centre north of Edmonton — backed by a dedicated gas plant from Pembina, Morgan Stanley Infrastructure Partners, and Kineticor — has already secured a 250 MW supply agreement for H2 2028. Capital Power is in active discussions with prospective data centre customers around its Genesee plant. |
Suncor names Peter Zebedee next CEO; CFO Troy Little departs Oil & Gas Suncor Energy has named Peter Zebedee, currently EVP of Upstream, as its next CEO, succeeding Rich Kruger in April 2027 when Kruger moves to executive vice chair. As an interim step, Zebedee becomes president and CFO on September 14, taking over all non-operating functions. CFO Troy Little has left the company; Suncor gave no reason. As one of Alberta's largest industrial power consumers and cogeneration operators, Suncor leadership transitions are worth tracking for any strategic shifts in energy procurement or generation investment. |
Vulcan County residents launch judicial review over 340-hectare data centre rezoning Market & Regulation Residents opposed to a Vulcan County rezoning — approved by council in June, converting roughly 340 hectares from rural general to rural industrial for a proposed data centre campus — have filed for judicial review in the Alberta Court of King's Bench. They allege procedural failures and inadequate environmental consideration. The proposed campus, put forward by developer Eric Steeves, could eventually reach 1,000 MW of IT computation capacity built in phases. The challenge signals growing friction between municipal land-use decisions and community opposition, a pattern that could complicate siting for power-intensive industrial loads across rural Alberta. |
BC Hydro opens bidding for province's first grid-scale battery storage facility near Duncan, Vancouver Island Storage & Emerging BC Hydro has launched procurement for a battery energy storage facility of at least 100 MW near Duncan on Vancouver Island, adjacent to the Vancouver Island Terminal Substation. The bidding window closes September 16, 2026, with shortlisted firms potentially advancing to a detailed RFP later this year. BC Hydro will own and operate the facility, targeting a 2030 in-service date. The project is part of a broader Powering Growth plan that envisions up to 500 MW of storage province-wide. |
Ottawa spending millions to explore micro-nuclear deployment in Canada's Arctic Nuclear The federal government is funding exploration of nuclear energy options for Canada's northern territories, with the Canadian Arctic identified as a potential early deployment site for micro-reactors. No commercial micro-reactors are currently operating in Canada. The initiative is at an exploratory stage, with no deployment timeline confirmed. |
BC Hydro to acquire Capital Power's 275 MW Island Generation gas plant in Campbell River Generation & Infrastructure BC Hydro is buying the 275 MW Island Generation natural gas plant in Campbell River from Capital Power, with financial terms undisclosed. The plant has operated roughly 15 days per year on average over the past five years, functioning as a peaking and reliability resource for Vancouver Island. It will remain as standby capacity while BC Hydro builds out renewables, battery storage, and transmission under its Powering Growth plan. For Capital Power, the sale exits a lightly utilized BC asset at a time when the company is deploying capital toward its Alberta Genesee gas expansion and data centre power supply opportunities. |
SaskPower disputes NDP claim that coal life-extension was driven by Bell Canada's 300 MW data centre Generation & Infrastructure Saskatchewan's NDP alleged that SaskPower's decision to extend coal plant life was made to supply Bell Canada's AI data centre near Regina, pointing to a SaskPower document submitted to the Rate Review Panel. SaskPower says the life-extension directive predates the data centre approval, given on June 18, 2025. Bell's facility — described as the company's largest Saskatchewan investment — is under construction south of Regina and will require up to 300 MW when fully operational in 2027, representing about 7.7% of provincial peak load. The project is projected to generate $12 billion in provincial revenue and roughly 800 construction jobs. |
U.S.-Canada energy trade fell 11% in 2025 to $137B, but natural gas and electricity values rose Economic & Finance Total U.S.-Canada energy trade value dropped 11% in 2025 to approximately $137 billion, pulled down by lower crude prices. Natural gas and electricity bucked the trend: U.S. imports of Canadian natural gas averaged 8.6 Bcf/d, up 1%, with import value rising 52%; U.S. exports to Canada reached 2.8 Bcf/d, up 4%, valued at $2.6 billion, up 77%. Electricity trade totalled $3.2 billion, with Canada supplying 67% of cross-border flows. A 10% tariff on Canadian energy exports was imposed March 6, 2025, though subsequent White House actions have exempted energy trade — a policy environment that continues to introduce uncertainty for Alberta gas producers with U.S. export exposure. |
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. |
|
