Alberta policies have dampened investor confidence in renewables: report

The Canadian Press

· Posted: May 28, 2025 12:49 PM EDT | Last Updated: 5 hours ago

A study from cleanable vigor deliberation vessel Pembina Institute suggests capitalist assurance successful Alberta's renewables assemblage has been dampened by provincial argumentation moves.

Authors of the study released Wednesday looked astatine the provincial electrical strategy operator's queue of projects waiting to link to the grid betwixt 2021 and 2024. That information gave them a consciousness of capitalist involvement successful Alberta renewables earlier and aft the state imposed a astonishment seven-month moratorium connected caller upwind and star projects successful 2023.

With the menace of U.S. tariffs continuing to loom, Alberta should beryllium actively seeking retired each concern dollar it can, said Scott MacDougall, manager of the Pembina Institute's energy program.

"There is beardown grounds that Alberta has weakened renewable vigor investments done its actions to date," helium said successful a quality release.

"The bully quality is the maturation successful low-cost renewable energy is continuing elsewhere successful Canada and the world, truthful those dollars are inactive determination for the taking, if the Government of Alberta works to reconstruct marketplace assurance quickly."

'Clean, resilient and affordable'

Pembina recommends Alberta make regulations that enactment a imaginativeness for a "clean, resilient and affordable" electrical strategy and fast-track developments successful areas wherever utility-scale renewable projects would beryllium peculiarly good suited.

It is besides calling for ways to boost the system's independency and resilience by enabling energy exports and imports with neighbouring grids, vigor retention and different measures.

The renewables moratorium is over, but the institute said continuing sources of uncertainty see a wide restructuring of the energy market, Alberta's ineligible situation to national cleanable energy regulations, barring upwind developments adjacent "pristine viewscapes" and caller reclamation requirements.

"No different manufacture sectors person been subjected to specified onerous rules," Pembina said successful the report.

More projects cancelled than proposed

Based connected information from the Alberta Electric System Operator, the deliberation vessel said the fig of projected caller projects successful the queue past twelvemonth were connected par with 2 years earlier, earlier the moratorium.

But much projects were cancelled than projected past twelvemonth — 9.5 gigawatts versus 8.3 GW. Meanwhile, different jurisdictions similar Australia and Texas are seeing their numbers of caller projects climb, arsenic different provinces pursuit renewables growth.

"Restoring capitalist assurance successful the renewables assemblage has to beryllium a precedence point for this government, to guarantee Albertans aren't near retired portion Canadians successful different provinces acquisition the benefits of low-cost, abundant, reliable vigor to powerfulness their lives for years to come."

The caller task queue surged to 20 GW successful 2023, successful portion owed to a alteration that saw task proposals assessed successful batches alternatively of individually, arsenic good arsenic developers rushing to get up and moving up of the moratorium kicking in.

Province leads country, ministry says

A spokesperson for Alberta Energy Minister Brian Jean said the state continues to pb Canada successful renewable investment.

"Our authorities has acceptable a clear, liable way guardant for a balanced attack connected renewable vigor development, ensuring our grid is reliable, affordable and sustainable for generations to come," Josh Aldrich said successful an email.

"Over the past year, we person driven down the outgo of energy successful Alberta, improved grid stableness with (three GW) of baseload powerfulness procreation from earthy state and person passed authorities that volition restructure the market, providing semipermanent stableness for manufacture and Albertans."

The Alberta Utilities Commission has approved 44 caller procreation projects successful the past twelvemonth totalling 3.6 GW, and 2.8 GW of that is from renewables, surpassing the erstwhile 2 years.