Welcome to this week's edition of IPPSA Intelligence! |
Upcoming IPPSA Event IPPSA33 Conference Members Tickets Have Been Released Non-Member tickets available November 6 March 14-16, 2027 Banff Springs Hotel | |
|
|
Alberta Electric System Operator |
MSA Clears Generators on PFR Headroom; AESO Sets Out Next Steps Market & Regulation The AESO released a Fact Report clarifying the MSA's preliminary PFR investigation: no headroom requirement was imposed on generators, no market participant misconduct was found, and the AESO's existing compliance monitoring approach was not challenged. For generators, this resolves a key area of uncertainty around PFR obligations. The AESO also published the Q4 2026 Rider E Estimate at 2.54 per cent — a charge adjustment applied to every loss factor for Q4 system access services under Rates STS, DOS, XOS, and IOS of the ISO tariff. Future consultations on reliability requirements are forthcoming. |
Data Centre Load Demand Dwarfs Alberta's Grid; Supply Response Is the Key Variable Electricity Projects seeking grid connections from Alberta data centres total roughly 19,600 MW — well above the province's historic peak of 12,785 MW. The AESO has capped the first wave at 1,200 MW, with 970 MW going to Meta's GLDC and 230 MW to Keephills Data Centre Phase I under load contracts. Similan Consulting's Elias Soto notes that price impact hinges on how quickly new supply comes online; household generation costs could nearly double over five to seven years in a tight-supply scenario. The BYOG framework being finalized by the AESO after industry feedback will be central to whether new generation keeps pace with load growth. |
Lithium Harvest Signs LOI for Integrated Geothermal Power and Lithium Project in Alberta Companies & Projects Danish firm Lithium Harvest Holding A/S signed a letter of intent with a geothermal partner to develop a joint venture in Alberta targeting 0.67 TWh of annual electricity generation and 28,500 tonnes of lithium carbonate per year at full capacity, with first production targeted for 2028. The two-phase project uses geothermal heat for power and geothermal brine as lithium feedstock. The project is early-stage and subject to validation, approvals, financing, and construction. If it proceeds, it would add a new class of baseload renewable generation to Alberta's supply mix while producing battery materials for North American markets. |
Red Deer Advances Municipally Controlled Electric Utility Corporation Electricity Red Deer city council considered on Oct. 13 the next formal steps toward creating a municipally controlled corporation (MCC) to govern its electric utility, following a June 2025 decision to pursue the structure. The proposed steps include adopting foundational documents, appointing interim directors, and approving a Unanimous Shareholders Agreement and Articles of Incorporation. No assets, employees, or operations transfer immediately — AUC approval is still required, and the city expects the MCC to be operational in 2028 if that approval is obtained. The move fits a pattern of Alberta municipalities seeking more direct control over utility governance and long-term infrastructure planning. |
UBC Spin-Off Dream Photonics Scales Photonic Chip Manufacturing in BC Companies & Projects Dream Photonics, founded in 2020 by UBC researchers Lukas Chrostowski and Sudip Shekhar, has developed a 3D micro-lens process that cuts photonic chip alignment time from 80 minutes to 35 seconds and reduces manufacturing costs sharply. The company posted $1.6 million in revenue in 2025, has been profitable since 2021, and received $1.1 million from PacificCan to move into its own BC facility in fall 2026. It won Innovate BC's top prize of $110,000 in September 2026. The technology is relevant to AI data centre hardware supply chains, an indirect but real connection to the power-hungry compute infrastructure Alberta and other provinces are now managing. |
Long-Term Uranium Price Breaks 2007 Record at $96.50/lb as Utilities Secure Supply Nuclear The long-term uranium contract price closed September at $96.50 per pound, exceeding the 2007 peak of $95, while the spot price sat at $89.63/lb, according to Cameco. The gap between term and spot prices signals utilities expect supply to tighten later this decade and are locking in volume now. A US-South Korea framework announced September 30 would deploy Westinghouse AP1000 and APR1400 reactors in the United States under a non-binding $120-billion investment arrangement. For Alberta, rising uranium prices raise the input cost baseline for any future nuclear capacity discussions, while the global contracting activity confirms nuclear is attracting serious long-term capital commitments. |
Bill C-39 Would Give Cabinet Broad Powers to Fast-Track Major Project Approvals Policy & Transition Bill C-39, the Building Canada Strong Act, passed second reading in the House of Commons and is in committee. The bill amends 19 laws and four regulations, and would grant the Minister of Environment authority to issue a single decision covering all required permits, approve site preparation before assessments are complete, and modify past environmental conditions. It extends C-5 priority-project powers to regions of national interest and removes the sunset clause on those powers. For Alberta power developers, the potential to consolidate federal approvals into a single ministerial decision could meaningfully shorten timelines for large generation and transmission projects — if the bill clears the Senate. |
OPG Rate Settlement Would Add ~$13/Month to Ontario Bills as Nuclear Capex Ramps Market & Regulation Ontario Power Generation reached a settlement with ratepayer and industry groups on rates for 2027–2031 that would raise the typical monthly power bill from roughly $142 to $155. The increases are driven by a $26.8-billion Pickering overhaul, a $20.9-billion SMR project at Darlington, and nearly $3 billion in additional Darlington maintenance. The settlement defers $350 million in nuclear revenue collection to 2028 and reduces proposed nuclear revenue requirements by $1.8 billion. The Ontario Energy Board must approve it at an Oct. 30 hearing. . |
Data Centre Opposition Enters Ontario Municipal Elections as Mississauga Imposes Moratorium Policy & Transition AI data centres have become a live issue in Ontario's municipal elections, with the grassroots group Stop the Datacentre pressing candidates to support stricter oversight. Mississauga city council approved a one-year moratorium on new data centre approvals after residents raised concerns about energy demand, water supply, and noise from a proposed northwest Mississauga project. Provincial guidance released in August is advisory only — no binding legislation exists. The political friction in Ontario contrasts with Alberta's more accommodating posture on data centre load, and serves as a cautionary example of what happens when grid and community impacts are not addressed early in the siting process. |
Ottawa Commits $100M to Nova Scotia's Wind West Offshore Project Ahead of 2027 Bid Call Renewables The federal government committed $100 million to Nova Scotia's Wind West offshore wind project: $5 million for floating LiDAR buoys to measure wind and ocean conditions, $3 million for transmission modelling to Quebec and Ontario plus underwater surveys, and the remainder for subsea drilling over the next year. Wind West targets 5 GW in its first phase at an estimated $60-billion cost, with a long-term ambition of 40 GW. A winter 2027 bid call is planned. The project is part of Ottawa's Atlantic Energy Strategy, which includes establishing a regional electricity system operator connecting the Maritimes, Quebec, PEI, and export markets — a structural development with long-run implications for interprovincial energy trade. |
PJM's EIT Program Accepts First 2,100 MW in Projects as Region Faces 7 GW Shortfall Storage & Emerging PJM, covering 65 million people across 13 US states, faces a capacity shortfall approaching 7 GW by 2028 and opened its Expedited Interconnection Track on July 31 for large projects requiring online delivery within three years. The first three accepted requests total over 2,100 MW nameplate — two ENGIE battery storage sites adding roughly 1,660 MW and a gas generator upgrade — with storage expected online mid-2029. PJM currently has only about 686 MW of utility-scale battery storage, compared to CAISO's 16 GW and ERCOT's 15 GW. Brattle Group projects PJM will need at least 16 GW of storage by 2032. The supply gap in the largest US grid underscores how quickly AI and electrification loads are outpacing interconnection queues continent-wide. |
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. |
|
